


Deal with the Devil

by SharkyCannotWrite, wolfenboy



Series: Thiam works [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Theo Raeken, Beta Liam Dunbar, Full Shift Werewolves, Human Liam, Human Liam Dunbar, Lots of original characters die, M/M, Serial Killer AU (kinda), Slow Burn, Theo and Liam are really gay but dont realize it, Werewolf Theo, Werewolf Theo Raeken, at first, but its okay because they are hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 08:46:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 33,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16615733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkyCannotWrite/pseuds/SharkyCannotWrite, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfenboy/pseuds/wolfenboy
Summary: Theo Raeken’s family was murdered when he was 10, and the wolves that did it took him in. He did everything possible to survive until he was stronger, faster, and deadlier than any of them. He finally gets the chance he has been waiting 9 years for and escapes. He ends up severely wounded however, only to be found by IED plagued runaway Liam Dunbar. The 17-year-old becomes both the bane of Theo’s existence, and his best friend. The two crisscross the country, killing with no discernible pattern and doing anything they must to survive. (Or: The Thiam serial killer au no one asked for, based off the song Wires by The Neighborhood)





	1. Young and Menace

**Author's Note:**

> Art by @wolfenboy on AO3, and wolfenboyb on tumblr. You can find more of their amazing art here: https://wolfenboyb.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> Everything up until chapter two was beta'd by lilshitwayne
> 
> And yes, all chapter titles except chapter 6 are the titles of Fall Out Boy songs

Art: https://66.media.tumblr.com/f4979bb132b0bf9920a8ff0661bcabe9/tumblr_pi5nz4NrcD1wclnjco1_500.jpg

 

 

 

Liam finally snapped.

 

It's not like he meant to beat his real father half to death, but the sight of him hitting David made him angry. The rage pushing at Liam’s skin finally escaped when Mark went after Jenna. The look on horror on his mom and step-dad's faces after the fact was enough to make him grab the keys from his unconscious father and steal his truck.

 

Liam didn't know how to drive - his parents thought it was too dangerous - and he did not know where to go, so he just prayed for the best and drove. He ran through several traffic lights and almost got rear-ended twice from slamming on his brakes. Liam really should have thought this over before stealing the truck. He took a corner too fast, nearly sending the truck fishtailing. Somehow, he made it out of town without killing himself or running over someone.

 

Liam had just passed the “ **You are now leaving Beacon Hills”** sign when a figure stumbled out into the road in front of him. He slammed on the brakes. The truck skidded to a stop as the person collapsed, holding their side.

 

Liam, while surprised the truck did not flip, was shocked that someone would step out in front of a moving vehicle. The 17-year-old cut off the truck and ran around to the front, about to yell at the most-likely-a-drug-addict for walking in front of the truck when he saw the blood. What seemed like gallons of blood was covering the man's shirt, and more was slowly leaking out of a stab wound in his side.

 

"Oh god... oh fuck me, they're going to think I stabbed you . Oh god, do you need to go to a hospital?"

 

The stranger practically growled at him, shaking his head vigorously and gritting his teeth before talking. "Take me to a hospital and we'll both get arrested. I'll heal."

 

Liam shivered at the deep, raspy tone of the stranger's voice. He momentarily forgot about the blood, just taking a moment to look over the stranger's features. He felt  like he knew this guy from somewhere. Liam snapped out of his thoughts when the stranger let out a pained hiss and Liam nodded, running his hands through his hair before offering a hand to help the man up. It was only after the stranger had grabbed his arm, using the hand not covered in blood to pull himself up, that his earlier words sunk in.

 

"Wait... why would we get arrested?" A cold wave of fear washed over Liam. What if this guy was a drug lord, or a wanted criminal, or one of those killer werewolf things that were on the news and were apparently real, or what if he-

 

"None of your business... Got a needle and thread?" Liam jumped when the stranger's voice cut through his thoughts. He looked behind himself at the truck, then at the taller stranger swaying slightly in front of him. Liam sighed, picking up the man’s duffle bag before looping the stranger's arm behind his neck and helping him limp over to the vehicle.

 

"I'm Liam by the way." Liam could feel the stranger's gaze on him, yet he refrained from letting the itch under his skin develop into full-blown anger like it had earlier. The taller of the two didn't speak until they were almost at the back of the truck.

 

"Didn't your mom tell you not to give your name to strangers... Liam?" The man paused before saying his name, almost seeming as if he was testing it out. The younger boy simply shrugged in reply, ducking out from under the stranger's arm and opening the tailgate. He left the older boy leaning against the side of the truck as he dug around in the back until he found what he was searching for. Liam made a triumphant hum as he pulled the first aid kit from the back of the truck. The stranger hesitantly took it and sidestepped until he was standing against the side of the tailgate, hand still clamped over his bleeding side.

 

Liam looked around the deserted stretch of highway, getting an uneasy feeling. The stranger seemed to sense it as well, nodding to the truck. Liam opened the back door for him, letting the boy in before setting the first aid kit beside him. Liam climbed into the truck and started the engine, jerkily pulling over to the side of the road. He winced when the stranger currently bleeding out in his backseat let out a grunt of pain, but no sooner had he stopped the truck and cut it off, a cop car drove by.

 

In the backseat, the man froze as the car drove near them. His face was a stoic mask when he glanced at Liam. It had taken him years to master the look, but he found himself slipping into the mask easily now. Liam caught his eyes in the rearview mirror, making sure the cop car had drove away  before clumsily moving to the backseat. The older boy was clearly struggling with his stitches, now rid of his bloodied shirt. The man had stabbed himself with the needle around the place where he actually needed stitches almost three times. Liam reached out slowly for the needle, and the stranger reluctantly handed it over.

 

“It’s going to hurt like a bitch…” Liam mumbled, before starting to stitch the boy.He was thankful the  wound was mostly clean; Liam was no stranger to blood, but he wasn't sure how well he could administer stitches if the area was slippery with it. The stranger was muttering something under his breath, but Liam couldn't make out what he was saying. By the time he was finished the bleeding had stopped completely. Liam climbed back into the front and wiped his bloody hands on a towel slung over the armrest of the passenger seat. The two sat in silence for a while until a deep voice rasped from the backseat, making Liam jump slightly.

 

“Theo.”

 

Liam tilted his head in confusion at the stranger’s statement, and a slightly annoyed huff came from behind his seat.

 

“My name, it’s Theo.”

 

The younger boy froze for a second, slowly turning around to face the boy in the backseat. When Liam finally spoke, it was loud enough to make Theo flinch.

 

“Theo as in Theo Raeken?”

 

The older boy simply nodded, arching an eyebrow at Liam.

 

“You’ve heard of me?” Theo clearly tensed up, his voice gaining a defensive edge that was not present before. Liam hurried to appease his anxiousness.

 

“You go to Beacon Hills High, right? Aren’t you friends with Scott and Stiles?” Liam already knew the answer to his first question, but he didn’t know why the trio had a falling-out. Theo was the star of the Varsity Lacrosse team but had moved away 3 months before. Or so everyone assumed.

 

If someone told Liam that Theo Raeken, the moody, violence-prone senior of BHHS would be bleeding out in the backseat of Liam’s stolen truck after disappearing for 3 months, he would have looked at them like they were insane. But here he was.

 

“I used to be. Why do you care about Scott and Stiles?” Theo asked angrily. Liam held up his hands passively, pointing at the lacrosse jersey in the passenger seat.

 

“Scott coaches the junior varsity lacrosse team. Which I’m on.” Liam internally cringed, Theo probably already knew about Scott coaching the JV team.

 

“I know. I’ve seen you play. You don’t suck as much as everyone else on the JV team.” Theo’s words brought heat to the younger boy’s cheeks, although Liam couldn’t place why. He knew he played decently, so he wasn’t sure why hearing it from Theo made his ears and cheeks burn. Liam kept his face turned away from Theo’s gaze and mumbled a quiet thanks, then they sat in silence once again.

 

Soon though, it became too much for Liam. He turned around again to speak to Theo but found him asleep, head leaning back against the seat. Liam would have worried he was dead if it weren't for the steady rise and fall of the older boy's bare chest.

 

Despite willing himself to stay awake, Liam eventually felt his eyes growing heavier until he fell into a dreamless sleep.

 

         ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Liam jolted awake, gasping for air. There was a solid pressure against his windpipe, and something sharp pricking both sides of his neck. His eyes snapped open, and he was met with the sight of glowing red eyes in the early morning light.

 

Theo’s eyes were wild, bearing none of the relaxed yet guarded look he wore when talking with Liam earlier. The younger boy brought his hands up to claw weakly at Theo’s strong forearms, trying in vain to pry the taller boy’s hands from around his neck.

 

“Theo...” Liam gasped, the desperate plea of Theo’s name causing the older boy to release him. The animalistic look faded from Theo’s eyes, replaced by a horrified one as his eyes changed from glowing red to hazel green.

 

Theo scrambled over into the passenger seat, throwing open the door and slamming it behind him. Liam panted in his seat briefly before throwing open his own door and sprinting to the other side of the truck. He expected to see Theo long gone, but that was far from the sight he was met with.

 

When Liam rounded the back of the truck, he found Theo on the ground, gasping for air. Seconds later, the sound of bones shifting and snapping could be heard. Liam stared in horror as the tan skin gave way to fur, a huge black wolf now standing where Theo had been writhing in pain seconds earlier. Liam struggled to process the sight in front of him. He had heard that werewolves were real, yet actually seeing a man change into a wolf chilled him to the bone.  

 

The younger boy took several steps backward, not taking his eyes off of the vicious looking wolf. Eventually, though, Liam’s luck ran out. The teen tripped over a large rock, landing hard on his back. The gravel scrapped his hands as Liam attempted to drag himself backward, away from the wolf. When it began to advance on him, Liam felt a shiver of fear run down his spine. The wolf stopped mid-step, freezing up before shaking all over. The glowing red coming from the wolf’s eyes disappeared and the sound of bones breaking and shifting was heard again. Liam covered his eyes this time, seeing it once had been gruesome enough. The teen remembered the sight of fur breaking through skin as bones snapped, tearing through the flesh in some places as they shifted in new directions. Liam covered his mouth with one hand, leaning over slightly as he recalled the sight of muscle forming over bone in the areas where an absence of flesh made an opening before it healed over.

 

Once the pained grunts stopped, Liam opened his eyes to see Theo laying on his stomach, upper body propped up on his forearms. The older boy was breathing heavily, blood dripping from his closed fist as he muttered under his breath, far too quietly for Liam to understand. Eventually, Theo seemed to calm down.

 

Liam turned his head away when Theo stood up, only turning back when he heard Theo unzip the duffle bag in the back seat and pull on pants. Liam allowed his anger to build in the minute or so it took for Theo to get dressed, and he stomped over to the werewolf, his eyes burning holes into the back of the older boy’s head.

 

“What the hell Theo? I save your ass and you try to strangle me while I sleep? And why didn’t you mention that you’re a fucking werewolf?” The questions flew from Liam one after the other, his tone harsh. Theo kept his back turned to Liam, but the younger boy could see the way he flinched with every question spat at him. The anger boiled in Liam, an itch under his skin that scratched at the insides of his knuckles, like a caged animal begging to be released.

 

 If Liam’s anger had not been driving him, he most likely would have flinched away from the rage in Theo’s eyes when the older boy whirled around to face him. Instead, the younger boy stood his ground, glaring up at the werewolf with barely contained rage.

“It didn’t seem to be a very pressing conversation point at the time! What was I supposed to say, ‘Oh thanks for saving my life; by the way, I’m a werewolf.”The anger seemed to leave Theo after that, his pride the only thing keeping him from apologizing. “It wasn’t my choice to hurt you. The wolf saw you as a threat and was going to… eliminate it.”

 

Liam flinched slightly at his words, taking a step back from Theo and clenching his hands into fists. The anger slowly ebbed from his body. “Why was I a threat? I haven’t done anything other than help you.”

 

Theo cast his cold eyes downward at Liam’s words, shrugging his broad shoulders. His voice came out strained and his eyes never left the ground.

 

“I don’t know. I panicked and woke up out of control. You just happened to be nearby.”

 

Liam narrowed his eyes at Theo’s words but didn’t feel the need to argue further with the werewolf.

 

“So you’re a werewolf? What’s it like?” Liam watched as doubt flickered across Theo’s face, but the werewolf eventually raised his eyes to meet the younger boy’s curious gaze.

 

“It’s pretty great most of the time. I’m faster, stronger, can heal better, and have the added bonus of fangs and claws. But I also lose control on full moons and have people, hunters, trying to kill me all the time.”

 

Liam listened with piqued interest, absorbing everything Theo said like a sponge under a faucet. All the shorter teen had heard about werewolves came from the media.

 

“But the news said you’re bloodthirsty animals that kill for fun and have no control.” Liam tilted his head as he spoke, the words sounding ridiculous even as he said them.

 

“Yeah well most people don’t really try talking with us, they are usually to busy running away or shooting at us. Yes, we do lose control, but we are just semi-normal people trying to live a semi-normal life. We just have a crazed wolf take over every time the moon is at its fullest.” Theo’s words were accompanied by a roll of his eyes.

 

“I’m sorry for making you shift earlier.” Theo looked confused at Liam’s words, and he seemed to pause for a moment, appearing to listen for something. The older boy fixed Liam with a perplexed look, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.

 

“I almost strangled you, and you’re apologizing for what again? Sleeping? It’s not your fault I get nigh-“ Theo paused mid-sentence, glancing at the ground before raising his head again. When the two teens’ eyes met, Theo had once again slipped on his mask, hiding the emotions he was undoubtedly feeling. “It’s about to storm. We should probably get back into the truck.” Liam’s brows furrowed in confusion at his words, since the sky was mostly clear, only a few grayish clouds floating peacefully in the sky. They had only been in the truck for a few minutes, sitting in awkward silence, when the first bright flash of lightning broke across the sky, followed by a deafening boom of thunder. Theo simply smirked at Liam, who rolled his eyes in turn. The rain started soon after, pounding against the windshield and making a deafening ruckus.

 

“So Theo, once this storm lets up where should I drop you off? I can take you to your house or-” Theo cut him off with a growl and a firm shake of his head.

 

“No home to go back to. Just leave me at the school.” Liam rolled his eyes once again but started up the truck. He jerkily steered the truck onto the road, his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel and constantly fluctuating speed bringing a small frown to Theo’s lips.

 

“Do you actually know how to drive Liam?” The younger boy flinched, shooting Theo a guilty look and shrugging his shoulders.

 

“Uh… not really.” Theo seemed shocked for a second, but it was quickly replaced by amusement.

 

“Then how do you have a truck if you don’t know how to drive?” Liam glared at the Theo, who was grinning slightly from the passenger seat.

 

“It isn’t mine.” Theo suddenly let out a barking laugh, startling Liam into looking over at him. Theo grabbed the wheel, his hand burning where it landed on Liam’s, and jerked them back into the correct lane. He pointed at a stop sign just ahead.

 

“Alright enough, pull over there and I’ll drive.” Liam let out a brief sigh of relief, pulling over to the side of the road with great difficulty. Once they had switched seats and were back on the road, Theo’s lip curled up in a grin and he turned his head to Liam.

 

“So tell me, why are you fleeing Beacon Hills in a stolen truck?” Liam narrowed his eyes at Theo’s question, letting out an exaggerated huff and crossing his arms.

 

“I panicked.” Theo didn’t bother to press further, despite his curiosity, due to the anxiety and guilt pouring from Liam in waves.     

 

“Well then Liam, where do I drop you and your escape car off?” Liam tilted his head in confusion, uncrossing his arms and fixing his gaze on Theo once again.       

                                                                          

“Theo it’s nearly nine, we have to go school.” Theo let out a sigh but accelerated, sitting in silence until the school came into view. He stopped the truck out of sight from the school, opening his door and stepping outside. Liam looked at him in confusion and climbed out as well.

 

“Why are we stopping here? The school is just up ahead.” Theo shook his head at Liam, turning to face him over the bed of the truck.

 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be seen with me. Rumors spread fast.” Liam only smelled more confused by his words, and it began to annoy Theo slightly. Most people had some sort of damper on their scents, like a small mesh hiding part of their chemosignals, but Liam’s emotions were intertwined with his scent fully. It constantly pulled Theo’s wolf closer to the surface.

 

“What is me walking into school at the same time as you going to stir up? I’m sure lots of people walk in at the same time and the whole school doesn’t talk about it.” Liam almost rolled his eyes as he spoke, but thought better of it.

 

“Oh yeah, you just happen to walk in with the guy that disappeared for three months after breaking some guys jaw and no one will ask questions or say anything. Real solid logic there Liam.” The younger boy simply stared at Theo in shock for a moment, before speaking far louder than he meant to.

 

“You broke someone’s jaw? What the hell is your problem with everyone Theo?? First, you break some person’s jaw, then you try to strangle me in my sleep.” Theo threw his hands up in the air, clearly exasperated.

 

“I already apologized for trying to strangle you!” Liam had the sudden urge to laugh as Theo’s jaw twitched.

 

“Actually you didn’t, you just stated why you did it.”

 

“Close enough!” Theo shouted, and Liam did laugh then. To his relief, the tension melted from Theo’s broad shoulders and a small grin appeared on the older boy’s face. The werewolf turned and began walking away, throwing up a hand in a small wave to Liam.

 

“See you at school Liam.” Liam scoffed, shaking his head and also walking towards the school.

 

Somehow, by the time Liam got to Beacon Hills High School Theo was nowhere to be seen. But when Liam walked by the Principal’s office to reach his locker, Theo was standing inside with his arms crossed while the Principal looked infuriated. Liam briefly stopped to listen, but a firm glare from Principal Martin had him moving along quickly. He grabbed his books from his locker as quickly as possible, heading to his second of the class of the day. He ducked into history and took his usual seat next to Mason, who raised his eyebrows and turned to speak to Liam. They were interrupted by the teacher, who proceeded to scold Liam for a solid three minutes. By the time class ended, Liam could feel his IED pricking the inside of his body, not enough to trigger an episode, but enough to frustrate him.

 

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, Liam promising to explain everything to Mason after school. Mason, Liam, and Mason’s boyfriend Corey were walking to the parking lot when Liam stopped at his locker to put away his books. The couple had continued ahead, Liam promising to be quick. He was almost finished when the whispers of someone near his locker reached his ears.

 

“Did you hear that Raeken guy came back?” The voice sounded less surprised, more condescending.

 

“Yeah, apparently he’s one of those werewolf freaks.” The second voice sounded disgusted, and Liam felt his nails dig into the locker door.

 

“Doesn’t help that he’s gay. I heard he broke some guy’s jaw for outing him before he left.”

 

“What a shame, he’s really hot. Does anyone really know why he left?”

 

“I heard his family died and he went to join some gang.”

 

“No, that happened years ago. I heard he ran off with some other werewolf.”

 

“Maybe that was who he was with this morning. Kyle said he saw the freak talking to some guy near the school.” Liam slammed his locker loud enough to startle the two people whispering. Liam stuffed his homework into his backpack harshly, storming out of the school. He didn’t even bother to look for Mason and Corey.

 

Liam was filled with nothing but anger, feeling as if any little thing could set him off. He stormed through the woods, making his way back to the truck he stole. Something tripped him and Liam fell hard, his right arm stinging from a nasty scrape down the length of his forearm. When a pair of combat boots appeared in his line of sight from where he was still staring at the ground Liam startled, jerking his head up and meeting cold blue eyes. The second thing Liam noticed was the knife Garrett held. The teen scrambled into a sitting position, attempting to scoot backward when Garrett shook his head.

 

“Well hello there, Liam. Mind answering a few of my questions?” Liam was in so much shock at seeing someone he used to consider a friend pointing a knife at him that he forgot it may have been in his best interest to run.

 

“What the hell Garrett?” The other teen glared at Liam slightly.

 

“I do believe I said I would be the one asking questions. Now tell me Liam, why were you hooking up with that werewolf. An alpha nonetheless.” Liam simply blinked at him in confusion, which seemed to make Garrett more annoyed.

 

“Answer the damn question, Liam.” Liam could feel his anger coming back, this time directed at Garrett.

 

“What are you talking about? I don’t know any werewo-” Liam froze, his nostrils flaring in anger as realization hit him. “What do you want with Theo?” Garrett’s face morphed into a wicked grin, and he lowered the knife a fraction.

 

“There you go Liam, just tell us where he is and no one gets hurt.” Liam could feel his IED scratching at the surface, desperate to be released, but he forced it down and met Garrett’s eyes.

 

“I don’t know where he is. I just found him stabbed and helped stitch him up.” Garrett seemed angry at that, raising the knife to its original threatening position once again.

 

“That fucker could have bled out if you didn’t interfere. We had his healing stopped temporarily.” Liam felt anger blaze through his veins, but they ran cold almost as quickly.

 

“We? What do you mean we?” Garrett opened his mouth to speak, wearing a cocky smirk, when a deep voice resounded from behind Liam.

 

“I believe he is talking about his girlfriend here.” Liam turned, against his better judgment, to see Theo walking behind Violet. His claws were pressed to her neck yet his eyes remained human and he had no fangs, which confused Liam. From what he heard, werewolves can only shift fully or not at all.

 

“Theo? What are you doing here?” Liam was surprised to see the older boy, but it seemed he wasn’t the only one. Garrett glared at Theo over the top of Liam’s head. Liam could not see both Garrett and Theo at the same time, but he assumed that Garrett would not risk anything with Theo’s claws at Violet’s neck. His assumption was sorely mistaken, however, because before Theo could answer his question the blonde teen was stalking forward. The werewolf had meant to yell out a warning for the other boy, but all that came out was the first two letters of Liam’s name before Garrett was practically on top of him. Liam looked around for anything he could use, his eyes landing on his lacrosse stick laying with his backpack next to him. As Liam reached for it Garrett raised the knife above his head, fully prepared to kill Liam now that he knew where the werewolf was located. Instead of the flesh of Liam’s chest, he was met with the other teen’s lacrosse stick blocking his strike.

 

“Damn it Liam, why can’t you make this easy for the both of us.” Liam simply responded with an animalistic growl, shoving Garrett off him. The knife fell away as the two started fighting.

 

Meanwhile, Violet used Theo’s distraction to throw an elbow back, striking Theo in the ribs. The alpha let go in shock, quickly realizing his mistake as Violet threw herself at him. Liam could hear the sounds of their struggle as he fought with Garrett. The hunter quickly gained the upper hand, since Liam lacked proper training despite his enthusiasm. Liam was pinned underneath the taller boy, struggling to breathe through the hands wrapped around his neck. He looked around to see Theo struggling to take down Violet, so he knew no help would come from the older boy. As spots began to take over his vision, Liam noticed the knife just within arms reach. He stretched his arm out, finally grasping the wooden handle as Garrett laughed darkly. The other teen seemingly hadn’t noticed Liam’s reaching, most likely to focus on squeezing the life from him.

 

“If you would have just told us where the werewolf was, I wouldn’t have to kill you Liam. Honestly, once that abomination was dead things could have gone back to normal.” Liam squeezed his eyes shut, jerking his arm forward and feeling the knife sink into muscle. He didn’t open his eyes when the pressure released from around his throat, or when Violet screamed. He didn’t even open his eyes to see her run away or see Theo walk towards him. He didn’t open them to see Theo effortlessly lift Garrett’s body off of him, but he did open his eyes when Theo lifted him up. The werewolf carried the younger boy far enough away that Liam’s terrified eyes could no longer see the destruction. Liam’s blue eyes were riddled with fear and his breathing was shallow as Theo gently set the teen down, leaning the younger boy’s back against a tree.

 

“Liam? Hey, you with me?” Liam’s wide eyes turned to Theo, and the look within their depths made Theo’s blood chill. He briefly wondered if this is how he looked when-

 

“I killed him, Theo. I… I didn’t mean to I just. Oh god, I just killed him.” Theo reemerged from his thoughts, gripping onto Liam’s shoulder from where he knelt in front of him.

 

“He was going to kill you, Liam. It was self-defense.” Liam shook his head, burying his hands in his hair and pulling. “Liam look at me. It wasn’t your fault.” Theo realized after speaking that his voice wasn’t entirely human. His words carried a slight growl that alphas used when ordering around betas and he cleared his throat. Liam’s eyes snapped up to meet his, and the younger teen lowered his hands from his hair.

 

“How are you so calm about this? You just had two professionally trained people trying to kill you!” Theo laughed slightly at Liam’s words, shaking his head slightly.

 

“You get used to it after a bit.” Liam tilted his head in confusion, lifting Theo’s hand to examine his nails. The werewolf’s claws were gone, not even a trace that they ever existed being left behind.

 

“How long have you been like this?” Liam’s voice was soft as he examined Theo’s nails. Theo’s chest felt tight, his eyes softening slightly as he smiled at Liam’s bent head. He froze, jerking his hand back and standing up suddenly.

 

“It doesn’t matter. You need to get back home and I have to do something with him.” Theo used his thumb to point over his shoulder, leaving Liam confused with his sudden mood swing.

 

“I… I want to help. You didn’t do it, so if anything goes wrong you shouldn’t take all the blame.” Theo looked shocked for a second, but he quickly tensed his jaw and strode off quickly. Liam hurried to follow. Theo stopped a few feet away, grabbing Liam’s shoulders and turning him around.

 

“Go home, Liam. Your nose is bleeding and you have a black eye. I can handle this.” The older boy’s tone left little room for argument, despite Liam’s argumentative nature. Plus, Liam had promised to talk to Mason after school, and his nose hurt like a bitch.

 

“Fine, but at least let me get my backpack.” Theo sighed, turning his head slightly to look behind himself.

 

“It’s a little fucked up back there. I’ll get it for you.” Liam crossed his arms but agreed. Theo had no idea where this compassion came from. Usually, he didn’t give two shits if someone was mentally scarred for life or not. Maybe the look on Liam’s face after the attack had changed his mind. He handed Liam his bag and turned to leave when he saw Liam pull out his phone. Theo rushed over, yanking it from his grasp.

 

“What are you doing? You can’t turn that on here!” Liam looked shocked at Theo’s outburst.

 

“What? Why can’t I?” Theo shook his head, holding the phone farther away when Liam reached for it.

 

“Because if they ever find his body, they can trace the signal to here and put you at the exact location within an hour of the… accident.” Liam stared at him with wide eyes, lowering his hand slowly and muttering out a soft, “oh.”

 

Theo grabbed the boy’s backpack, pulling out one of his sheets of homework and a pen. He scribbled something on the corner and stuffed it back into his bag. “Call me if anything happens.” Liam felt himself blush slightly, and Theo gave him a strange look before walking away. He stopped, waiting for Liam to turn and walk away before getting to work.


	2. Heaven's Gate

 

Liam finally had to go home and face his parents. He stopped the beat up ford in the driveway of his house. The clean exterior on the street next to all of the other clean, perfect houses seemed to mock Liam as he let out a deep sigh and turned off the truck. He left the keys inside, grabbing his backpack and walking up to his door. His feet felt far to heavy as he lifted them up the three steps to his front door. The teen dreaded what awaited him on the other side. What if his parents hated him? What if his dad pressed charges? What if they…

 

His thoughts were interrupted when the door swung open, Liam’s mother standing on the other side with a hand over her mouth and tears in her crystal blue eyes.

 

“Oh sweetheart…” Liam feels a tear run down his cheek at the sight of his mother’s distress.

 

“Mom, I’m sorry.” Jenna surged forward, pulling her son into a bone crushing hug.

 

“Oh sweetie I thought you were gone. You scared David and I so much.” Liam felt a new wave of guilt, this one stronger than the last.

 

“I didn’t mean to, I’m so sorry Mom.” Jenna hugged her son even tighter before releasing him from her grip. She turned and let her son inside, one hand on his back guiding him inside. The two family members sat down on the couch, angled to face each other. Liam finally gathered the courage to ask the question that weighed on his mind since he left.

 

“Is… is Mark ok?” Jenna nodded her head, tenderly brushing the hair off Liam’s forehead.

 

“Yes sweetie, Markus is fine. Not that many people would care if he wasn’t…” Jenna seemed to remember her son was still sitting there and gave him a relieved look. “It turns out Markus was violating both his parole and the restraining order by coming here in the first place, so he is heading to prison as soon as he recovers. They did not even bother deliberating, the judge saw his file and made a ruling in the same hour.” Liam did not know much about law, yet he knew judges usually deliberated for a few hours at the least. The two sat in comfortable silence until the stove dinged, Jenna standing up to finish cooking dinner while Liam went upstairs to do his homework. As he pulled out his history homework he saw the neat writing on the top left corner. The teen felt his cheeks heat up and he stared at the series of numbers on the page. He pulled out his phone, plugging it in to charge while he started working. Once it had enough battery Liam powered it on to reveal several texts from Mason about today, and one from his mother asking him to come home. The timestamp revealed it was from last night, and Liam quickly deleted it from his phone, feeling guilty. He typed out a reply to Mason, detailing what happened with his father and why he didn’t meet his best friend after school. He left out anything related to Theo, unsure why but feeling it would have some sort of negative repercussion. He told Mason that something set his IED off at school and he walked back through the woods to reach the truck, but lied saying he got lost. When Mason promoted Liam to tell him what bothered him at school Liam told him that some students had said something that triggered his anger. The other teen didn’t press any further, instead letting Liam know to text him whenever, but that he had studying to do. Liam finished up his history homework, his eyes continuously falling on the numbers in the corner of the page.

 

Once everything for that class was finished, he grabbed his phone again. When Liam finished entering the number, he typed out a quick message.

 

 _893-0024_

**Hey Theo :)**

_Sent 8:03 p.m._

 

Liam set his phone down, briefly wondering why the flying fuck he put a smiley face. He heard his phone chime not even a moment later, but when Liam picked it up rather than a text, the words **Incoming Call: Theo** lit up the screen. The teen accepted the call, bringing the phone up to his ear.

 

_“What’s wrong Liam?”_ The younger boy tilted his head in confusion, but quickly realized Theo couldn’t actually see him.

 

    “Nothing is wrong Theo, I was just texting to see if the number worked.”

 

    _“Interesting. Now if you don’t mind hanging up, I’m a little busy.”_ Liam now registered how breathless Theo sounded, and he felt a little panicked for a second.

 

    “Theo are you still in the woods? Do you need me to come help?” Theo let out a deep, breathless laugh.

 

    _“No, I’m not still in the woods. But you’re welcome to come help if you_ _want.”_ Liam stifled a gasp as he finally understood why Theo sounded so out of breath, and he felt his face heat up. Theo grinned to himself as he heard Liam’s heart skip a beat.

 

    _“Call me if you need something Liam.”_

 

    “Bye Theo.” As soon as Liam finished speaking, the line went dead and Liam set his phone down on the desk, brain struggling to process the conversation that he just had.

 

Liam had the urge to crawl under the desk. Theo had told him to only call or text if it was an emergency, so of course he stopped… what he was doing to answer. Liam was left with lingering embarrassment, but it faded quickly when his mom called him downstairs. Liam could see David walk in the front door, and he ran to hug his step father. David wrapped his arms around his step son, pulling Liam against his chest. The two hugged for a moment before Jenna emerged from the kitchen, calling them to the table. Dinner was fairly normal until near the end. Liam had almost finished eating, setting his fork down and looking up at his parents. He began apologizing, his parents telling him there was no need to apologize for things that weren’t his fault and that he should finish his dinner.

 

Liam was suddenly reminded of Theo’s words from earlier, and he no longer felt hungry. The mashed potatoes on his tongue turned sour. He muttered another apology, promising to some back downstairs to clean up after he showered. He missed the concerned look David gave his wife as Liam hurried upstairs, not even bothering to stop for clothes before locking himself in the bathroom. He turned the shower handle and stripped, suppressing a hiss at the scalding water. He grabbed the loofah and covered it in soap, scrubbing at his skin until it turned red. The soft fabric of his clothes brushed against his irritated skin, making Liam’s skin burn even more as he walked downstairs. His parents must have already gone to bed, since the dishes were stacked neatly in the sink for him to wash, the lights in the kitchen dimmed. Liam got to work, nearly finished with all of the dishes when a thunder resounded overhead. Liam jumped slightly, but settled down once rain began pounding against the windows.

 

After finishing the dishes, Liam went back upstairs to complete his homework before turning off the light and collapsing into bed.

 

     --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Theo was kicked out of the school around 9, the janitor discovering him when cleaning the locker room. Theo had been in a fairly good mood since his call with Liam, still feeling slightly amused at the embarrassment Liam was unsuccessful at hiding. The janitor ruined that however, and Theo was left wandering the streets for somewhere to go. He could always go back to his old hideout, but he knew it would most likely be watched. There could always be hunters on the loose, since some of them probably knew he survived.

 

Theo was still considering his options, simply walking West from the school when the first crack of thunder sounded overhead. Theo had barely muttered out a string of cusses when the rain started. The werewolf was instantly soaked from head to toe, and he could only hope his phone stayed dry enough inside the backpack to stay operational. Theo knew he had nowhere to go, and it was only a matter of time before some hunter happened across him. He could always go back to the den where he burned Garrett’s body, but revisiting a crime scene was a risky move. One he wasn’t willing to take. Theo bowed his head against the rain and stuffed his hands into the pocket of his jacket, walking quicker. Maybe if he made it into town, he could find a restaurant or somewhere to stay in temporarily.

 

It took about five minutes after he reached the main part of town to find somewhere that let in a soaking wet teenager at 10 p.m. He noticed a fellow patron throw three bills down on the table as they exited, and he walked over before the waitress noticed. As he made his way to one of the booths at the back, he snagged the three dollars off the table, tucking it into his soaked jean pocket.

 

The waitress wandered over, leaning against the table and puffing out her chest in a way Theo assumed was supposed to make her look sexy. She asked what he wanted to drink, seeming to delate slightly when Theo merely scanned the menu, asking for water and a small fry. When she walked off to relay his order to the cook Theo pulled his wallet from the drenched backpack, thankful the items inside had only gotten slightly damp. The werewolf sighed as he pulled the last bill out of his wallet, tucking the five into his jeans beside the other three bills. Theo stood up and made his way to the counter, offering the five to the cashier. He received only a few cents in change, making the teen sigh once again and walk back to his seat. Theo had finished his fries and water as the rain started again, so he leaned back in the booth to wait it out.

 

A firm hand on his shoulder shook Theo awake, and he had to repress the urge to sink his fangs into the offending arm. “Son, I need you to leave.” Theo nodded, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He gathered his things, turning on his phone and glaring at the 1:12 across the top of the screen before exiting the restaurant. Rain was still forming puddles in the street, yet it was not raining anywhere near the ferocity of earlier in the night. Theo wandered from place to place for the rest of night, resting for as long as possible before he was told to move along. The werewolf could have forced them into letting him stay, yet he did not want to draw attention to himself. Especially after his recent disappearance.

 

Theo had just been kicked out of another McDonald’s, checking his phone as he walked across the street. The rain had thankfully stopped, but the wind still whipped around, tearing at his jacket and hair. The smells assaulted his nose, made stronger by the wind gusts. Theo checked his phone once again, the low battery taunting him. Theo began walking towards the school, he was still a few miles away and his first class was in less than an hour. He stopped at a small gas station, changing into the only other shirt and pair of jeans in his bag.

 

Liam slowly awoke, rolling onto his side. The 6:02 blinked at him, and Liam let out a sigh. He dressed for school then walked downstairs, greeting Jenna and David. He sat down and ate quickly, wanting to arrive at school early enough to meet and Mason and Corey before class. He grabbed his lunch from David, hugging both of his parents before walking outside. Liam’s house was fairly close to school, so he usually walked. He arrived within the next 15 minutes and waved to Mason as he climbed out of his car. Corey arrived at the school shortly after, and the trio made their way through the building. Liam was so focused on talking to Mason about Call of Duty that he managed to walk directly into someone. The person had been flipping pages in a book when Liam ran into them, causing both of them to drop what they were holding. Liam bent down to grab his English notebook at the same time the other person reached for their book. Liam straightened his back and was about to begin apologizing when his eyes met Theo’s. His words died on his tongue at the sight of the werewolf’s messy yet somehow still styled hair and two day old stubble. Somehow the small, almost unnoticeable hairs made his jawline appear even sharper.

 

“Uh… sorry man.” Liam winced at his eloquent wording, hoping his heart was not racing as fast as it felt.

 

“No worries, Liam. See you around.” Theo’s mouth twisted up into a smirk and he winked at Liam, brushing their shoulders as he walked past. Liam felt his face flush, and Theo grinned slightly at the rapid beating of his heart. Mason blinked at Liam in shock after the older boy walked off and Liam pretended not to watch him leave.

 

“Liam, _please_ tell me that was not Theo Raeken that just flirted with you.” Liam’s blush deepened, but he rolled his eyes at Mason.

 

“He was not flirting Mase.” The other teen simply raised an eyebrow, Corey throwing an arm around Mason’s shoulders as the group started walking again.

 

“He winked at you, Liam. I think that counts as flirting.” Liam narrowed his eyes at Corey, hoping the other teen would have taken his side. They had stopped at Mason’s locker, the teen pulling out his books before grabbing his boyfriend’s hand. Liam was still formulating a response when the first bell rang and the trio spilt up to head to class.

 

Liam realized in his third class of the day that his wallet was missing, but it would not surprise the teen if he left it at home this morning. The students were eventually released for lunch and Liam stopped at his locker to grab his food before heading to meet Mason and Corey at their usual table. The couple was already there, stealing food from each other and being disgustingly cute in general. Liam collapsed into his seat, ranting to Mason and Corey about his horrible grade in Biology. He had only been going about 5 minutes when the two fixed their eyes above Liam’s head, so he turned to see what they were staring at. Rather than see something across the cafeteria, tight black material stretched over abs invaded his vision. Liam raised his eyes to see Theo standing behind him, holding Liam’s wallet. The younger boy narrowed his eyes as Theo sat in the chair next to him, sliding his wallet to rest next to his food.

 

“You dropped this earlier. I didn’t even realize I had it until class started.” Liam nodded his thanks, taking notice of Theo’s empty hands.

 

“Where’s your lunch?” Theo glanced around the cafeteria before answering, his voice sounding tense and guarded.

 

“I forgot it.” Liam could sense the lie but he shrugged it off, breaking his sandwich in half and passing one side to Theo. The older boy looked shocked, holding the half of a turkey sandwich like it was made of glass. Mason’s eyes darted from Liam to Theo and then back, and his confusion was evident in his words when he spoke.

 

“Why don’t you buy a school lunch?” Theo glanced at him, seeming to notice the other two for the first time since he sat down.

 

“Too expensive.” Theo didn’t offer a further explanation, but Mason continued to press.

 

“It’s only two dollars.” Theo narrowed his eyes at Mason, then looked from the sandwich to Liam and finally, back to the half of a sandwich he held. Liam rolled his eyes, speaking with his mouth full.

 

“I didn’t poison it Theo, just eat.” The werewolf tilted his head to listen for a second after Liam spoke before taking a small bite of the corner. He groaned softly, then began eating the sandwich wolfishly. He scarfed it down like someone was going to take it from him, causing Mason and Corey to stare at the older boy like he had sprouted a second head. Theo stood up as soon as he finished, ruffling Liam’s hair and earning himself a glare from the shorter boy as he walked off, waving a hand over his shoulder in goodbye. Mason and Corey turned their shocked stares to Liam as he ate peacefully. If anyone else had ruffled Liam’s hair like that, he would have broken their nose. Liam finally sensed the silence and looked up, tilting his head at Mason and Corey like a confused puppy.

 

“Ok what the fuck Liam.” Liam just looked at Mason with even more confusion written across his face.

 

“What did I do?” Liam asked, causing Mason to throw his hands up in the air in exasperation then point at Liam.

 

“Something is going on between you two.” Liam rolled his eyes, about to deny it when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. The trio rose from their seats, branching off to their next class.

 

Liam tossed his clothes inside and closed his locker, taking a deep breath. The last few hours of the day had been tough, but now he had lacrosse practice and could finally let out all of his energy. As he walked out onto the field a hand wrapped around his arm, stopping Liam in his tracks. The teen shrunk back from Malia’s glare. The girl was scary, even if she was soft with Scott. When her boyfriend had taken Liam under his wing he had been slowly included into their friend group, even if some of them were pretty scary. Liam did not even know that Malia had returned from France, but he did now. The older girl was speaking to him with a frown on her face, and Liam finally tuned back into what she was saying.

 

“Why was Theo Raeken sitting at your table? You know who he is right?” Liam slowly pulled his arm from her grasp, which had turned far to tight for his comfort.

 

“He was just returning my wallet.” Malia seemed to study him for a second before nodding slowly, turning to walk away. She paused, speaking over her shoulder.

 

“Watch your back around Raeken. Never know when he’s going to rip it out.” Liam’s brow furrowed in confusion, but Coach’s shrill whistle prompted him onto the field. Practice was intense, even more so than usual, and left Liam frustrated with his inability to focus. Liam was the last to step into the shower, and stayed late after everyone left. The teen stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, making his way to his locker to change. He stopped short when he rounded the corner, not expecting to see Theo lounging across the bench. The older boy appeared to be asleep, his arm resting underneath his head and his long legs dangling off the bench. Liam made his way over to his locker as quietly as possible, keeping one eye on Theo’s sleeping form as he hurriedly pulled on the clothes he wore at school that day.

 

“You know Liam, it’s a little bit creepy to stare at people while they are sleeping.” Liam let out a very manly squeak, dropping the shoe in his grip.

 

“Jesus fucking Christ Theo, I thought you were asleep. You scared me.” Theo simply smirked up at him, finally opening his eyes and lifting his head up slightly.

 

“My sincerest apologies Liam. I didn’t realize my voice induced so much fear in you.” The younger boy rolled his eyes, flipping Theo off as he hopped around on one foot in an attempt to pull on the shoe he previously dropped.

 

“What are you doing sleeping in the locker room anyway?” Theo narrowed his eyes at Liam, letting out a sigh as he sat up.

 

“I got kicked out of every McDonald's in the area last night, and the janitor never checks the locker room until about 9.” Liam simply blinked at his confession before using his thumb to gesture over his shoulder.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me you had nowhere to go? I would have let you crash at my house.” Theo scoffed at Liam’s statement, standing up from the bench and stretching. His voice came out void of emotion when he spoke next.

 

“I don’t need your pity Liam, I manage perfectly by myself.” Liam narrowed his eyes at Theo, closing the locker with slightly more force than he intended.

 

“It’s not pity Theo, it’s me being a decent person.” The younger boy did not wait for a response from Theo, opting to walk out of the locker room and hope he followed. Liam was not disappointed, because no sooner had he walked past the school entrance Theo caught up to him.

 

“So how far is your place from here?” Liam pointed up the road, explaining that his house was only about a 15 minute walk from the school. Their walk was mostly silent, Liam suppressing a shudder as they walked past the outskirts of the woods. Theo bumped their shoulders together in silent reassurance, beginning to tell Liam the story of his night. The younger boy quickly forgot about the woods they walked beside, listening with rapt attention and laughing slightly when Theo mentioned stealing money from the waitress at the small diner. They arrived a the younger teen’s house, the walk feeling short than usual to Liam. His mother waved from the couch when he walked inside, tilting her head in curiosity at the sight of Theo standing awkwardly beside her son.

 

“Oh Sweetiepie you didn’t tell me you were having a friend over, I would have cleaned up a little bit.” Liam smiled at his mom, walking over to give her a hug. Theo stood near the door, shifting his weight from foot to foot anxiously. Liam sat down to talk with his mother and Theo took the opportunity to study his surroundings. The werewolf noticed 3 exits he could reach quickly, running through the best ways to escape any possible situation when a flash of color caught his eye. Theo wandered over to the photo, leaning closer to examine it. Something about seeing Liam smiling with his parents, an arm thrown around both of their shoulders, made him uneasy. He quickly looked away, avoiding looking at the rest of the frames on the wall. Theo’s eyes snapped to Liam, who stood at the base of the stairs calling his name. He walked over quickly, choosing to ignore the puzzled look Liam gave him.

 

Once inside the younger teen’s room, the smell of Liam was almost overwhelming for Theo. They did not stay long enough for the werewolf to properly analyze the space before Liam was directing them to a room down the hall. He explained to Theo that he could stay here before walking back to his room. The older boy was unsure if he should follow him or not, but he did not have to make a decision in the end since Liam came back not even a full minute later, holding a laptop and a bowl of popcorn. Theo studied him closely as Liam moved to sit on the bed, his back resting against the headboard and computer balanced in his lap. The younger boy patted the spot next to him, offering Theo a small smile. The werewolf hesitantly sat next to Liam, holding the offered popcorn bowl. Liam shifted around for a second, placing the laptop on their outstretched legs. He pulled up Netflix, turning his head to Theo.

 

“You can pick something to watch, I don’t care what it is.” The werewolf simply stared at him a second before hesitantly lifting his hands to the keys. They hovered above them for a moment before falling back into his lap dejectedly.

 

“Theo?” Liam pushed the computer fully into Theo’s lap, only noticing the tensing of his body due to their shoulders being pressed together. “Is something wrong?”

 

“I uh- I don’t know how.” Liam faltered for a second before offering the older boy a smile, angling his body to be able to reach the keys without blocking Theo’s view of the screen. He desperately wanted to ask how Theo did not know how to operate something as simple as Netflix, but it was clearly a tender subject for the werewolf. He explained to Theo how to work the app, asking the werewolf what he wanted to watch. He merely shrugged, muttering about not knowing any shows. Liam pulled up one of his favorite shows, pressing play on a random episode.

 

“Forensic Files? You watch a show about killing people?” Theo asked. Liam laughed slightly, shaking his head.

 

“No, its about solving murders and stuff. Just watch.” They were only a few minutes in when Theo scoffed quietly.

 

“What? Do you not like the show, we can watch something else.” Theo shook his head, pointing at the screen.

 

“No, this is great. That idiot strangled her with his bare hands _and_ walked through the mud in his normal shoes? What a dumbass.” Liam blinked at him in shock before laughing loudly.

 

“You’re kinda fucked up Theo. Most are appalled by the people, not condescending of how they got caught.” Theo simply grinned at him, putting his finger over his lips to signal Liam to be silent. The younger boy shook his head, grinning slightly as the show continued on. Three episodes later and Liam felt his eyes grow heavy. He struggled to stay awake, but eventually lost the battle.

 

Theo jumped slightly when Liam’s head fell onto his shoulder, the other boy letting out soft snores. Theo left a small smile pull at his lips as he turned his head back to the episode, Liam’s fine hairs tickling at his jaw.

 

Jenna walked up the stairs early the next morning, opening the door to Liam’s room. She felt fear crawl up her spine when Liam’s bed was empty, still made up just how he left it before… A loud snore from the end of the hall interrupted her thoughts and she walked quickly to the door. When she opened it, the sight of Liam asleep with his head on Theo’s shoulder, the older boy leaned back against the headboard and a dead laptop resting on Theo’s lap she smiled, relief coursing through her. She gathered up the empty popcorn bowl and shook Liam’s shoulder gently. Her son only let out a mumble, but she knew he would wake up in a minute now that his peaceful sleep had been disturbed. Jenna closed the door behind herself, walking downstairs to help David make breakfast.

 

The sound of the door clicking back into place had Theo jolting awake, his eyes blazing red as he took in his surroundings in a panic. His glowing eyes snapped to Liam, who was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

 

“Jesus Theo, do you ever wake up normally?” The werewolf narrowed his now human eyes at Liam, setting the laptop on the bed before standing up. He moved to leave the room, picking up his backpack when slender fingers wrapped around his wrist. Liam did not know why Theo was so defensive about anything related to his past or his behavior, but he knew better than to ask.

 

“At least stay for breakfast?” Theo sighed, tossing his backpack back into its spot and nodding. Liam offered him a smile, walking out of the room and locking the bathroom door behind him. Theo opened his backpack, hoping that the other shirt he owned would be dry by now. The smell wafting from the shirt made him instantly shove it back into the bag. He unplugged his phone and set it into the bag along with the charger, zipping up the worn backpack. Liam walked back into the room, a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. He pointed in the direction of the bathroom before wandering into his room to change. Theo pulled the toothbrush he owned out of the front pocket of the backpack, brushing his teeth while Liam changed. The whole routine threw Theo off, and he shook head as Liam walked downstairs.

 

The younger boy’s parents waved to them as they came downstairs. Jenna took in Theo’s attire with a frown, but covered it up by setting two plates of food in front of the boys. Jenna watched with curiosity as Theo cast Liam a cautious look, waiting until her son took a bite before lifting a piece of toast and taking a small bite of the corner. She did not know what made Theo so cautious with everything, and she resolved herself to find out. Liam seemed to take notice of his mother slipping into what he referred to as “psychologist mode” because he grabbed the remaining toast from his and Theo’s plates and practically shoving the older boy out of the house. Liam prayed his mom missed the threatening growl Theo gave him when he took the werewolf’s food, handing him the rest of breakfast as soon as he closed the door.

 

“Sorry about that, my mom was about to start interrogating you.” Theo raised an eyebrow, but accepted the food Liam handed him. “You tend to avoid personal questions and I didn’t want to scare you off already- I mean not that you have to stick around, I just assumed you could stay with us for now since you don’t seem to have a place… but if you don’t want to I totally understa-” Theo offered him a grateful half-smile, nodding his thanks. The werewolf knew Liam saving him from talking to Mrs. Geyer would not seem like much to most people, but Theo was used to being invisible or uncomfortable. He finished eating, then fixed Liam with a serious look as the school came into view. The older boy reached out, settling a hand on Liam’s shoulder and halting him.

 

“Whatever people try to tell you about me, don’t believe them.” Liam tilted his head, his brow furrowing in curiosity. He nodded cautiously, wondering why Theo felt the need to press the importance of that request. He put the strange comment at the back of his mind as they walked up to school. Liam turned around to say goodbye, but Theo was no longer behind him. The younger boy shrugged it off, not thinking about his mysterious disappearance until lunch. Mason, Corey, and Liam were seated outside, waiting for Scott to join them. As assistant coach, Scott was allowed to come and go from the school as he pleased. On off days from college, Scott would join Liam and his friends for lunch. However, when Scott walked up to the table today, he wore a serious -and slightly pissed- expression. Scott set his food down then tapped Liam on the shoulder, pointing to a spot a few feet away.

 

“Hey Liam, mind if I talk to you for a second?” Liam nodded, abandoning his apple and following Scott. Liam briefly wondered what Scott wanted to talk about, but he did not have to wait long for an answer. The older of the two looked around before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. Rather than dark brown eyes like Liam expected, his eyes were a glowing red when re-opened. Liam let out a quiet gasp, suppressing the urge to back away from the Alpha. Scott fixed his red eyes on Liam, his voice carrying a slight growl as he spoke.

 

“Stay away from Theo Raeken.” Scott blinked, his eyes returning to normal. Liam could feel anger blossom under his skin, spreading like the petals of a flower throughout his body.

 

“Why the hell does everyone hate Theo? What did he do that’s bad enough to earn that.” Scott glanced to his right, meeting the eyes of a growling Theo. Liam didn’t seem to notice the other alpha, and Scott turned his attention back to the blue eyed teen.

 

“Because he’s dangerous Liam. Trust me when I say you need to steer clear of him.” Liam threw his hands up in the air, clearly agitated.

 

“That’s such a bullshit answer. If you can give me just one good reason to kick him out, I will.” Scott recoiled slightly, lowering his voice to a near whisper.

 

“You’re living with him?” Liam was still ranting, not noticing Scott seemingly speaking to himself. After a long pause filled with Liam’s ranting, Scott muttered a final statement to the other alpha wolf. “Watch your back, Raeken.” Liam seemed to be finished, finally noticing that Scott did not pay a single bit of attention to his speech about running away and finding Theo, being convinced to go home, and how Theo somehow did not know how to work anything as simple as Netflix. Scott cut him off in the middle of the story about breakfast, narrowing his eyes at Liam.

 

“Theo is a lone alpha. Meaning he will do anything for a pack. Lone wolves are the most dangerous kind.” Liam let out a sigh, then perked up.

 

“Does that mean you have a pack? Who’s in it?” Scott smiled slightly at Liam despite his serious warnings.

 

“Malia, Corey, Stiles, Derek, Lydia, Jackson, and Ethan.” Liam’s mouth opened and closed a few times, like a fish out of water, before he spoke with a voice much to loud of Scott’s enhanced hearing.

 

“They are all werewolves too? That’s so cool! Wait, who’s Derek?” Scott shook his head, beginning to explain his pack to Liam.

 

“Malia and Corey are werecoyotes, Derek and Ethan are werewolves, Lydia is a banshee, Jackson is a kanima-werewolf, and Stiles is… Stiles.” Liam’s eyes were wide, and he bounced in place like a child.

 

“Wait what is a kanima, and how is Stiles a part of the pack if he’s human?” Scott tilted his head in thought, trying to find a way to explain his best friend to the younger boy. He finally decided that the easiest explanation would be the truth.

 

“A kanima is… well I don’t really know. It’s kind of like a lizard monster- thing with venomous claws. As for Stiles, he’s human, but he has what we call a spark. He has a special talent for identifying supernatural creatures, plus he’s good at figuring out stuff. Every spark has a werewolf guardian. We all thought I was his guardian for a while, but after Derek saved his ass for the hundredth time, we figured out it was him. That’s why Derek lives at the FBI academy with Stiles. We consider Mason a part of the pack, since he knows about the supernatural even though he’s human.” Liam struggled to process all of this information.

 

“Woah. That’s crazy.” Liam was prepared to ask what a banshee does and how long Mason knew about the pack when another question came to mind. “How did you know about Theo being around me. And why doesn’t he have a pack too?” Scott let out a soft growl before answering.

 

“We can smell him all over you. Corey smelled it two days ago, when Theo first came back to school. The only reason he came to me was because of the faint bruise marks around your neck that day. They weren’t there when I saw you yesterday, so to be honest I didn’t really believe him. But when I walked up today you positively reeked of Theo. It’s a little nauseating to be honest. As for why he doesn’t have a pack, that’s on him.” Scott gestured to the table a few feet away from them. Even from the distance Liam could see the dark red of Theo’s eyes. The younger boy felt slightly guilty when he noticed Theo’s hands curled into fists. He had the urge to ask Scott why Theo seemed pissed, but the alpha spoke first. “Steer clear of Raeken. Especially tonight.” Liam wanted to ask what Scott meant, but the alpha was already sitting at the table, talking to Mason and Corey. The blue eyed teen turned back to Theo, only now taking note that the two people at the end of the table had cleared the area. Liam walked back to his original spot with Mason, Corey, and Scott. Corey opened his mouth to speak to Liam, but the other boy simply grabbed his lunch and turned around without a word. He missed the scowl Scott gave his back as Liam sat down across from Theo. The brown eyed alpha turned to the couple across from him, muttering about how his “avoid Theo” speech was clearly ignored.

 

Said werewolf glanced up when Liam sat down, glaring slightly at the younger boy. His eyes slowly faded from red, yet his hands remained clenched into fists. Liam broke his sandwich in half, same as the day before, and offered half to Theo. When the older boy unfurled his hands, Liam let out a gasp at the blood that dripped down onto the table. Theo seemed to realize his mistake, jerking his hand back and glancing around Liam’s shoulder. The younger teen slowly reached out, so as not to startle Theo, and grabbed the other boy’s wrist. He held Theo’s wrist with his left hand, grabbing a napkin in his right and using it to gently wipe the blood from his hand before switching them and repeating the process. Liam watched in silent amazement as the skin of Theo’s large hands fused itself back together.

 

Liam finally released his hands and looked up, blushing at the intense way Theo stared at him, as if he was evaluating why the younger boy acted the way he did. The werewolf muttered a small thanks and took the offered sandwich. When Theo began eating, Liam found himself smiling. Rather than examine his food with suspicion like he had done previously, Theo simply ate. He raised an eyebrow at Liam, who shrugged in response and began eating as well.

 

After school Liam met up with Theo near the sign after saying goodbye to Mason and Corey, rolling his eyes when both tried once again to convince Liam that Theo was bad news. Something Scott said had been bothering Liam since lunch.

 

“Why did Scott say I should avoid you tonight? And why did you claw your hands at lunch?” Theo pointed up at the sky before answering Liam’s question.

 

“Tonight is a full moon. All wolves have trouble controlling their shift on the full moon. That’s why I can’t stay at your place tonight, and it’s partially the same reason I almost lost control at lunch.” Liam nodded, glancing up at the part of the moon that was visible even during the day.

 

“Partially? Why else did you almost lose control?” Theo ignored his question, instead asking Liam what homework he had for the day. After Liam answered, Theo offered to help him with biology before he left for the night. Liam agreed, and the two walked back to the younger boy’s home in comfortable silence.


	3. 20 Dollar Nose Bleed

Theo could feel the effects of the moon coursing through his body, and he suddenly regretted not stealing stronger chains. As the moon reached its peak, the alpha let out a blood chilling roar, the chains tying him to the tree groaning under his force. It was risky for him to be tied in the open, especially with hunters now knowing of his existence again, but Theo could not find it in himself to care. The alpha’s eyes burned red as he roared once more. 

 

Liam had been restless all night, only sleeping for an hour or so at a time before waking. This time when Liam woke up the clock read 2:13. He let out a soft groan and flopped back against his pillow. Movement in the darkest corner of his room caught Liam’s eye, and he turned his head to look in that direction. The teen clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the shout that escaped in his shock. A pair of glowing red eyes stared at him from the corner. Liam reached around quickly to flip on the lamp, gasping sightly at the sheer size of the black wolf. It simply watched him, not moving a muscle other than to blink. The large head rested on massive paws. Liam cursed his forgetfulness when his eyes left the wolf and fell on the open window he forgot to close. There was a trail of red leading from the window to the wolf, and Liam slowly lowered his feet to the floor. He softly padded closer, kneeling near the wolf. He flinched at the snarl from Theo, but slowly reached out a hand nonetheless. 

 

Another growl sounded when Liam’s hand sank into soft fur, but the human ignored the warning and crept slightly closer. Liam scanned the werewolf for injuries, finally finding the source of the blood. The fur around the wolf’s -Theo’s- shoulder was a dark red, barely standing out against the jet black coat. The blue eyed teen stood up, walking to the bathroom and wetting a towel. He grabbed the first aid kit his father insisted be in every bathroom of the house, pulling out the antiseptic and bandages. Kneeling beside the wolf once more, Liam gently pulled aside the fur around the area until he uncovered skin underneath. The teen winced at the hole in the werewolf’s shoulder, clearly caused by a bullet. Liam knew he had to find some way to remove the bullet, but he wasn’t sure he could muster up the courage to dig it out of his friend’s shoulder. 

 

The wolf nudged Liam with his wet nose, making the boy jump. The human knew that Theo would heal, but he still felt guilty as he used the wet towel to clean up as much of the blood as possible, pouring the antiseptic over his hands before taking a deep breath. After glancing at Liam, the wolf turned his head forward and rested it on his paws once more. Theo’s wolf form let out a vicious snarl as Liam dug around in the wolf’s shoulder for the bullet, widening the bullet hole. His fingers finally scraped against the metal, and he slowly pulled it out with a grin. The wolf was breathing heavily, and Liam watched transfixed as yellow smoke rose from the spot the bullet had previously been buried in. Liam poured some antiseptic over the open wound, earning a growl from the black wolf, before placing a bandage over the entirety of the werewolf’s shoulder. After walking back into the bathroom, he tossed the bloody towel in the bathtub and put the first aid kit back into its place. 

 

Liam let out a small squeak upon re-entering and finding Theo standing naked in the middle of his room, back in human form. The human found his eyes wandering over Theo’s broad shoulders and down his hairless chest, eyes skimming over his abs before jolting back up to Theo’s smug face. The werewolf had stopped fiddling with the bandage on his shoulder, smirking at the blush dusting Liam’s cheeks. 

 

“Easy there Liam, I may have been able to shift back but my control is still running thin.” Liam’s blush deepened and he avoided looking at Theo as he walked over to the dresser against the wall. Liam pulled out sweatpants that never fit him well and a pair of boxers. The younger boy tossed them to Theo, and the werewolf pulled them on. Liam turned around once Theo was dressed, and ignored the cocky smirk the older boy sent his way. 

 

“Whatever,” Liam mumbled, before speaking clearly once again. “You are welcome to stay here or leave, just let me sleep. I have to be at school early tomorrow.” Theo let out a quiet snort, settling into the chair at Liam’s desk. 

 

“Wow Liam, what a perfect little angel you are.” The younger boy never responded, instead turning his back towards Theo and flipping him off despite the heat coloring his cheeks. 

 

When Theo awoke, Liam was long gone. The werewolf was confused at the faint scent of the younger boy, but then remembered the mention of an early morning at the school and something Liam said about a lacrosse meeting. Standing up from the uncomfortable desk chair, Theo made his way to the guest room of the Geyer’s home. He was reaching for his bag, preparing to find some way to make the remaining clothes in his possession work, when a folded pile of color resting on the bed caught his eye. The werewolf let out a fond laugh, shaking his head as he pulled on the borrowed clothes. His shoulder protested slightly as Theo raised his arms, but he ignored the discomfort. After greeting Mr. and Mrs. Geyer, Theo left for school. When he arrived, the school was still mostly empty. As he walked to his locker, a voiced called him from an empty classroom. Theo wrinkled his nose at the smell of werecoyote and Scott rolled into one as he stepped into the room. Crossing his arms to hide his exposed claws, Theo turned to face a scowling Malia. 

 

“What do you want Coyote?” Theo asked through barely clenched teeth. Malia growled, but closed her eyes briefly to compose herself. 

 

“Since Liam ignored both mine and Scott’s warnings, maybe you will listen to reason.” Theo repressed the urge to growl at her taunting, barely hiding the anger he felt. 

 

“And if I won’t?” Malia flashed her glowing eyes at Theo, who fought against the urge to rip the coyote’s throat out at the challenge. 

 

“If you continue to hang around Liam, I’ll make his IED public. Imagine how poor Liam would react if the guy he so kindly let under his roof uncovered his biggest secret.” Theo froze, his eyes widening slightly. 

 

“You would betray someone who trusts you, just to keep me away from him?” Malia rolled her eyes at Theo, shrugging slightly. 

 

“You would know all about that wouldn’t you Theo.” She spat his name with disgust, before offering him a fake smile. “So Raeken, are you going to leave him alone or will I have to take more extreme measures?” Theo let out a sigh, retracting his claws and wrapping his fingers around the straps of his worn backpack. 

 

“Fine, I’ll do it.” Malia grinned smugly at him, crossing her arms. “Does Scott know you are threatening Liam?” Malia’s grin faltered and she narrowed her eyes. 

 

“No, and you’re going to keep it that way.” Theo finally released the growl he had been suppressing, making the werecoyote flinch slightly. He spun around, still growling as he stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him. Theo’s step faltered slightly when he caught sight of Mason, the human staring at him in shock. The alpha growled slightly in his direction, jolting Mason out of his stupor. Theo stalked off, keeping his eyes fixated ahead as he pretended not to notice Mason jogging to catch up with him. 

 

“Theo, wait up. What just happened-” The werewolf spun around, crowding into Mason’s personal space and glaring darkly at him. 

 

“You breathe a word of this to Liam and I will  _ gut _ you.” Mason help up his hands in surrender, slightly appeasing the growling teen. 

 

“Intense. But yeah, fine or whatever.” Theo narrowed his eyes but nodded, walking off. Mason turned around, heading for the locker room. As soon as the door closed behind himself, Mason texted Liam to meet him. 

 

After explaining what he heard, it took Mason around 15 minutes to keep his best friend from going to punch Theo in his, “smug, selfish face” as Liam put it. 

 

“Fine Mase, I’ll wait until after school.” Mason sighed, but nodded. 

 

“Just make sure Malia doesn’t see you. She’s never backed out of a threat before.” Liam agreed, stalking out of the locker room and heading for his first class. He didn’t see Theo at lunch that day, and Liam didn’t pass him even once in the halls. The teen didn’t know whether to be mad at Malia or Theo, so he decided on both. After spending half of lunch shooting glares at the werecoyote, Liam ate less than usual. His stomach grumbled a protest as he dashed out of class after the last bell. Instead of wait for Mason and Corey like he usually would, Liam finally caught sight of broad shoulders and dark hair and rushed over before the werewolf could escape. The teen felt his anger swell as he called Theo’s name. 

 

Letting out a sigh, the alpha relaxed the muscles in his jaw, knowing the hit was coming before Liam swung. He turned around, still caught slightly off guard by the force of Liam’s fist. Stumbling back holding his bleeding nose, Theo offered Liam a grin. 

 

“Nice to see you too Liam.” As Liam began his angered yelling, Theo picked up on movement from the corner of his eye. He briefly locked eyes with Malia, feeling anger flare up. His eyes burned red as he growled in her direction before walking away from Liam, still holding a bleeding nose. 

 

“Theo you son of a bitch, I was talking to you!” The alpha let out a sigh, turning his head slightly. 

 

“Don’t follow me Liam, I’ll stop by my house to grab my stuff then I’m leaving this shitty town.” The younger boy froze slightly, but hurried to catch up with Theo. 

 

“The hell, you can’t leave! You have nowhere to go, and there are hunters. They’ve already shot and stabbed you.” Theo let out a growl, whirling around to face Liam as soon as they disappeared from the prying eyes at the school. 

 

“That’s exactly why I have to leave! What happens when they come after you or your family? What then Liam? I can’t…” Liam cut him off, throwing his hands up into the air out of frustration. 

 

“Is that really how you feel, or are you trying to appease Malia?” Theo faltered, glancing down briefly before narrowing his eyes at Liam. 

 

“You heard?” The younger boy simply nodded. Liam hesitantly reached out, fingertips barely ghosting over Theo’s wrist as he tapped two fingers against the vein before releasing his grip. The simple action prompted Theo to speak again. “I didn’t lie though, I don’t want the hunters finding out about you. Well, anymore than they already know.” 

 

“We’ll deal with it, if it comes to that. Let’s go home.” Theo nodded as Liam grabbed his wrist once more, repeating the gesture from earlier before starting towards his home. Theo followed, the corner of his mouth ticking up in a slight smile before he forced it down. 

 

Malia tuned back into her surroundings, growling slightly at the conversation between the lone alpha and the younger teen. She felt a small shred of guilt at outing Liam like this, but the terms she made were very clear. The werecoyote watched Mason and Corey leave before walking over to a student wearing a lacrosse jersey. 

 

     ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    

 

Liam reached for the door as it was pulled open, Jenna stopping in front of them, purse and car keys in hand. 

 

“Oh good, you boys are home. Do you mind running a few errands for me? I have to get this report to the company before dinner, and I still haven’t cooked.” Liam gave his mom a smile, taking the keys from her grasp. Jenna fished around in her purse for a moment before pulling out a credit card and a list, passing it to Theo. After hesitantly accepting the two objects, Theo took the key from Liam. The two teens tossed the backpacks they held into the backseat, heading for the two stores Jenna specified. Shortly into the trip, Liam spoke up from the passenger seat. 

 

“Hey Theo. You were on the Lacrosse team right?” After receiving a hum of affirmation from the older boy, Liam continued. “Why do you never go to practice anymore?” Theo glanced away from the road for a brief moment before fixing his eyes back on the car ahead of them. 

 

“Got kicked off of the team. I guess being gone for 3 months doesn’t sit well with Principle Martin or the Coach.” Liam nodded, looking out the window again. After sitting in silence for a while, Theo steered the Mercedes into a parking spot. The two stepped out of the car, Liam waiting patiently while Theo inspected the car. As they walked up to the small café Jenna had directed them too, Theo stopped walking. He grabbed Liam’s wrist before the younger boy pulled the door open, yanking him away from sight. This raised the attention of a few patrons, but neither boy noticed. As soon as Liam’s back hit the hard brick of the alley wall, he shoved Theo. The alpha stumbled back a step before growling slightly at Liam, raising a hand to silence the younger boy. 

 

“What the hell Theo!” Liam’s words came out muffled from below the werewolf’s large hand. 

 

“It’s Malia.” Theo said as he looked around for a moment, eyes landing on a jacket resting across the back of a customer’s chair. Their back was facing Theo, and he let out a sigh. The werewolf motioned for a confused Liam to stay where he was, before the older boy walked slowly by the unsuspecting civilian. Theo snagged the jacket without attracting any attention, tossing it at Liam when he returned to the fuming teen. 

 

“Please tell me you had a reason for stealing his jacket.” Theo grinned slightly at the exasperated look Liam wore, waiting for Liam to pull the leather across his shoulders. It fit loosely, the sleeves dangling down past his fingers. As Liam began rolling the sleeves up, Theo explained his plan. 

 

“The scent from the jacket will hide mine. Plus it already has a name on it, so you don’t have to worry about her finding out your lie. We can return it when we’re done if that’s what is making you smell so annoyed.” Theo accompanied his last sentence with a roll of his eyes, leaning against the wall opposite Liam. 

 

“This plan sucks. Why can’t we just go inside, who gives a fuck if Malia knows you’re-” 

 

“I do!” Theo looked taken aback by his own outburst, uncurling his fists and settling back against the wall. Liam gave him an odd look before shrugging.

 

“Fine. At least tell me who’s jacket I’m stealing.” Theo motioned for Liam to spin around, reading the name displayed across the smaller boy’s shoulder blades. 

 

“Keith.” Liam could have sworn Theo’s voice sounded off somehow, but the werewolf was flashing him a clearly fake grin and waving, walking out of the alleyway. Liam rolled his eyes but entered the homely café, stepping up to the register. After he ordered, Liam went to stand near the “ **Pick up order here** ” sign. He felt someone walk up behind him, and the teen silently prayed it was not the owner of the stolen jacket. However, Liam was not sure if seeing Malia standing behind him was any better. 

 

“Hey Liam. Funny seeing you here.” The teen nodded, smiling politely. He felt a curl of anger deep in his gut, but he shoved it down. The werecoyote wrinkled her nose slightly, pointing at his jacket with the hand not holding a coffee. 

 

“You smell weird. Whose jacket is that?” Liam felt his face heat up, avoiding eye contact with her. 

 

“It’s uh- it’s Keith’s.” Malia nodded at his answer, but furrowed her brow in confusion. 

 

“Who is Keith?” She asked. Liam shrugged, turning around to grab the coffee when his order number was called. 

 

“He’s just a friend.” Malia simply smirked knowingly at him, walking off as she muttered about how “friendly” it was to let someone borrow your jacket, even when not around them. Liam let out a sigh of relief, almost dropping the caramel latte his mother demanded. The younger boy rushed out of the shop, rounding the corner and leaning against the wall Theo shoved him against earlier. He shrugged off the jacket as Theo rounded the corner, a pleased smirk gracing the older boy’s face. Liam flipped him off as he passed the jacket into Theo’s waiting hands. They both froze as an agitated voice erupted from the direction of the café.

 

“Lance how did you lose my jacket? You’ve been sitting here the whole time!” Theo cast a grin at Liam, who winced at the anger in the stranger’s voice. The other man, Lance, raised his voice as well. 

 

“It was draped over the back of my chair the entire time, there’s no way I lost it!” Liam and Theo suppressed laughter as they snuck out of the alley, Theo conveniently walking near the two people arguing. 

 

“Hey, some guy dropped this. I found it on the sidewalk over there, and I’m guessing it’s yours?” Theo passed the jacket to the tan boy seated at the table. This earned him a nod from the taller, dark haired man and a grateful smile from the man still seated.  The werewolf eavesdropped on their conversation as he wandered away, again suppressing a laugh. 

 

“I told you I didn’t lose it, some dick probably stole it.” 

 

“Whatever you say, Sharpshooter.” 

 

“Shut up Samurai, you know I didn’t lose your damn jacket.” Theo stopped listening as he opened the car door, flashing a grin at Liam who rolled his eyes. The rest of their shopping trip passed without incident, other than the one time Liam almost ran into Theo with the cart. That resulted in the younger boy in a headlock, only being released when the manager walked over. By some miracle, the two made it back in time for dinner, Jenna helping the boys put away the items they bought for her while David finished cooking. 

 

As they ate, Jenna questioned the boys on their shopping trip, launching into a discussion about cars with Theo shortly after. David answered Liam’s questions about work that day, explaining all of the new patients as fully as he could without infringing on the patient confidentiality. David was aware of Liam’s desire to follow in his footsteps, so he offered Liam advice or explained his day in great detail whenever possible. There had been a time when Liam had attempted to understand what his mom was speaking about when it came to cars or her job in Environmental Engineer, but he did not truly understand either of those topics. Theo seemed more than happy to speak about mechanics for hours, and Jenna was willing to oblige. After dinner, Liam was called downstairs just before he would usually go to bed. Although Theo chose not to eavesdrop on their conversation, he could smell the anger in Liam’s chemosignals spike briefly before leveling out once more. The werewolf found himself unable to sleep until the house was fully silent. 

 

Liam could feel everyone’s eyes on him as he walked through the halls, some even daring to lean over and whisper in a friend’s ear when he walked past. For once, Liam found himself happy he had listened to Theo about leaving at different times. Throwing the older boy into the mix would have just fueled gossip.  Liam felt anger at Malia simmering below his skin, and he strongly resisted the urge to scream at everyone he saw. All eyes were on him until shortly after lunch, when Liam overheard a group of students whispering in the hall. 

 

“Did you hear that Raeken guy went after a kid today?” 

 

“Yeah, apparently he beat them up pretty bad.” 

 

“All they gave him was detention though. I’m surprised he didn’t get suspended again.”

 

Liam scowled, annoyed that people were talking about Theo once again, but partially glad the attention was away from him for a while. Things truly went South after school. As Liam was packing his books to head home, Mason and Corey jogged up to him. Mason wore a panicked look, and constantly glanced around. 

 

“Hey Mase, you okay?” Mason shook his head, discreetly gesturing towards the main exit of the school. 

 

“The lacrosse team is guarding all of the exits, and some guys are walking around asking for you. Corey and I checked all the exits; there’s no way out. He is checking near the lacrosse field to see if we can get out that way.” Liam felt confused mostly, but nodded and followed Mason who directed him to keep his head down. They had just passed an empty classroom when the duo almost ran directly into Gabe and Nolan. Liam made the mistake of meeting their eyes, seeing a dark look within them. A small group of different students, a few lacrosse and soccer players mixed crowded around them. Mason and Liam backed into the empty classroom, realizing their mistake as Gabe gave the two a sinister smile. 

 

Theo could smell the distress from across the school, and he let out a small growl. He strained his hearing to listen to the commotion. A taunting voice caught his attention, albeit slightly muffled from the noise made by other students. 

 

“C’mon Dunbar, what’s it going to take for you to explode?” The whimper of pain that followed had Theo shooting up from his seat, shrugging off the teacher that tried to stop him as he took large strides out of the detention room. A large group of people gathered around a classroom, all attempting to get a look at what was happening inside. Theo could see Mason being held back, pleading with two people standing in front of a bleeding Liam. Red hot anger flooded Theo’s system, and he found himself shoving through the crowd with a growl. The alpha could feel claws pressing against his nail beds as he fought for control. The two raining punches on Liam stopped as he reached the front of the crowd, sharing a dark look before letting their prey slump to the floor. Mason was beside Liam the second Nolan and Gabe backed away and Theo threatened to beat the shit out of anyone who did not leave immediately. The crowd scattered and Mason helped a bloodied Liam to stand, accepting Theo’s aid in maneuvering him to the locker room with a grateful nod. Mason cleaned Liam’s cuts as well as he could while Theo questioned the younger boy on what happened. 

 

“I guess they were- ow shit Mase that stings- I think they were trying to get my IED to go off. Nolan said something about waiting for someone, but I couldn’t really hear him over the- Mason don’t poke the bruises.” Liam seemed to lose his train of thought, biting at his already torn lip. Theo was lost in his own thoughts, mostly about ripping Gabe and Nolan’s throats out, when Liam called his name. 

 

“Hey Theo, can you tell coach I’ll be late to Lacrosse practice?” Theo simply narrowed his eyes, but let out a sigh and stood up from the bench after a few seconds. Mason looked between the two, shaking his head. 

 

“No way. You just got the shit beat out of you, there’s no way you can play.” Liam started to protest but was cut off by Theo. 

 

“Liam, if you really want to play, we won’t stop you. Just keep in mind how much your body can take.” The younger boy glanced from Theo to the locked door of the room, seeming to think it over for a few seconds. He met Theo’s eyes once more, gaze determined. 

 

“I can play.” Mason let out a frustrated huff at the conviction in Liam’s tone, but stood up and unlocked the door. 

 

“Fine, I’ll let Coach know you will be late, and that you need to take it a little easier than usual.” Liam smiled slightly at his best friend, giving him a small wave. When Mason disappeared from sight, Liam slumped back against the lockers behind himself and let out a quiet, “fuck.” Theo sat down against Liam once more, glaring at him slightly. 

 

“You should have kicked their ass.” Theo stated. Liam simply laughed, bringing a hand up to gingerly press around his right eye before letting it drop back to his side. 

 

“I couldn’t let them win. If I lost control, then they got what they wanted.” Theo gave Liam a lopsided grin at his statement, looking slightly impressed. The werewolf pressed two fingers against Liam’s cheekbone, slowly drawing the pain from his body. Liam looked surprised, but muttered a quiet thank you to the older boy. 

 

“You still need to let out some steam right? That’s why you wanted to play?” Liam could do nothing but nod, surprised Theo had read him so easily. The werewolf looked at the wall clock, grabbing his wrist and pressing his middle and index finger to the vein. He tapped twice before helping Liam to stand. The younger boy struggled to process the gentle taps. So far, the silent “I understand, I’ve got you” had been a gesture only Liam did.

 

“Don’t overdo it. See you after practice Liam.” The younger boy gave Theo a slight wave, quickly changing into lacrosse gear and heading out to the field. Most of the player seemed shocked to see him, and Liam could practically see Theo’s anger swirling around him. The alpha was staring daggers at a select few people, Mason’s presence distracting him with school work most likely being the only thing keeping Theo from attacking the lacrosse players. Liam noticed the absence of Gabe and Nolan, but did not think much of it. Theo usually left about a quarter into practice, but he stayed until the completion this time. 

 

Liam ached all over by the time practice ended, but he decided to shower and change at Mason’s house. Theo left Liam with a small wave, heading towards the Geyer household as the younger teen climbed into Mason’s car. The events that unfolded that afternoon made him completely forget about the chemistry test he finally got back. Theo had been helping him study, since chemistry and biology were his two favorite subjects, and Liam helped the older boy with his AP history class. Mason and Liam completed their homework before Jenna texted, directing Liam to be home in time for dinner. 

 

Liam decided to walk home from Mason’s. The teen was excited to share the news of his far better chemistry grade with his parents and Theo. Liam winced when the loud sirens of a firetruck sped by, heading the same way Liam was walking. He picked up his pace slightly, even if it was just paranoia. Liam let out a gasp as he turned the corner onto his street. Dark smoke rose up into the air, bright lights nearly blinding him and sirens wailing into the setting sun. Liam broke into a run as he neared his house, or what was left of it. His brain struggled to comprehend that the rubble and charred ground was all that was left of his home. Both of his parents cars were in the driveway still, meaning they had been home at the time of the fire. The teen was allowed through the police line after frantically explaining that it was his home. Liam felt the urge to punch the pitying look off the officers face, but blue spray paint caught his attention instead. The words “Werewolves must burn” painted between the two cars in the driveway made Liam’s skin crawl. A crash from the direction of his house was heard and Liam flinched, looking up in time to see part of the wall cave in. He felt his eyes well up with tears as he stumbled over to the still burning ruins. 

 

A pair of strong arms wrapped around Liam, stopping him in his tracks. He struggled around in the grip, feeling the burning tears finally make their way down his cheeks. 

 

“Let me go you bastard! My parents and Theo are in there!” One of the arms around his middle moved to Liam’s shoulder, spinning him around with far more force than humanly possible. 

 

“Hey, hey. Your parents are fine, they got out in time.” Liam sagged in the person’s grip, turning his watery eyes up to Theo. The younger boy let out a sob, burying his head in Theo’s chest and wrapping his arms around the older boy’s middle. The werewolf froze for a second before returning the hug.

 

“It’s all gone… What- what happened?” Liam’s words were interrupted by hiccuping breaths. 

 

“It doesn’t matter right now. Angel, you need to breathe or you’re going to hyperventilate.” No sooner had Theo uttered the words than Liam’s breathing came shorter, and he struggled for air. The younger boy felt drained of all energy and let gravity pull him down, Theo following. Liam could feel the skin of his knees tear as he hit the rough concrete, but could not find it in himself to care. Theo simply held him as he calmed enough to breathe properly, quietly encouraging the younger boy. 

 

“I- I don’t understand why… who would-” Liam’s voice broke and Theo wished he could take emotion pain as well as physical. He swallowed around the lump in his throat, his heart aching at the smell of pain, grief, and anger being emitted from the smaller boy. 

 

“I’m sorry Liam. I didn’t- the hunters must have found out I was living here.” Theo took a moment to compose himself before continuing. “The stairs collapsed when I was coming down and my leg healed slower than usual. When I made it to the front door your dad was trying to unblock it. He passed out before I got the debris out of the way. I didn’t get him outside quick enough and he inhaled a lot of smoke. They said he will be ok, but if I had been quicker I could have-” Theo was interrupted by Jenna’s loud voice nearby. 

 

“So help me if you do not let me go see my son right this instant…” She did not have to finish, the paramedic backing off with a sigh. The woman walked quickly over to the two teens kneeling on the ground and joined them, wrapping both Theo and Liam in a tight hug. Liam felt tears prick at his eyes once again but pushed them away, moving his arms from around Theo and wrapping them around his mother. The werewolf slowly extracted himself from the hug, leaning back to allow Liam and his mother some space. 

 

“Mom I was so worried. Are you hurt?” Jenna shook her head at Liam’s question, offering her son a small smile. 

 

“I’m alright Sweetheart. I wasn’t inside when the fire started. Theo thought he smelled something, so we assumed an animal had died in one of the air vents. I went to check the ones outside while Theo looked for it in the vents upstairs. David was supposed to check the two vents downstairs before helping me look outside. The police say what Theo actually smelled was a gas leak.” Liam turned to stare at Theo, something the werewolf could not read written in his eyes. Jenna started speaking again, making Liam turn his attention back to her. “The emergency responders said the fire spread quickly, barricading David and Theo inside.” Jenna turned her attention to Theo, and the werewolf braced himself for the blame to fall on his head. The dark haired teen waited tensely for the yelling to start, or for the normally calm woman to strike him. But the blow never came and the yelling never began. Theo still flinched when she reached out, rubbing his arm lovingly. She smiled at him before turning her head back to Liam. She pulled her son into one last hug before standing. 

 

“You boys are welcome to come with me to see David, the paramedic was informing me that he just woke up when I caught sight of you two.” Liam nodded, standing up and following his mom. Theo hesitated a moment before joining them. Jenna was arguing with the ambulance driver when he wandered over. 

 

“-don’t think you understand. He is coming with us, family or not.” The younger woman let out a sigh, gesturing slightly with her hands as she spoke. 

 

“Fine. The boy can go, just get in so we can leave.” Jenna shot the driver a self satisfied smile, settling into the back of the ambulance and accepting the blanket the paramedic draped over her shoulders. He tried to examine the burn marks on Theo’s arm, but the werewolf avoided him until the man gave up. They all sat in silence until the driver instructed them to get out. Jenna greeted her friend Melissa McCall, who led them to David’s room. Theo’s step faltered when they passed the morgue, Liam giving him a confused look. When the door opened, Liam rushed inside and threw his arms around his stepfather. Dr. Geyer sat against the headboard, letting Liam go to accept a hug from his wife. He offered a grateful nod to Theo, who returned it before sitting in one of the chairs in the corner.

 

When David was cleared, Jenna loaded everyone into the car, driving to the nearest motel to stay the night. The blonde-haired woman kept the other three distracted with jokes, hoping to keep their minds from drifting to the events of the earlier afternoon. Once everyone had fallen asleep that night, the strong willed woman finally allowed herself to grieve the house she grew up in. 

 

They had only been at the motel for two days, David still working on an arrangement to stay with family, when the sound of sirens drawing closer was heard. A loud knock sounded on the door of the hotel room, Liam glancing at his parents before a shout resounded from the direction of the door. 

 

“Beacon Hills Sheriff Department. Open up.” Dr. Geyer pulled open the door, politely greeting the four sheriff deputies standing outside. None of the four returned the formality, despite the fact that Deputy Parrish and Dr. Geyer were very well acquainted, even somewhat friends. 

 

“Is Theo Raeken here?” Said teen stood up cautiously from where he was sitting at the table, discussing plans to find a job in order to support the people allowing him to stay with them. Theo walked closer, standing behind David. 

 

“Yes, is there a problem gentlemen?” The officers looked over David’s shoulder, into the small hotel room. 

 

“Please let us in Dr. Geyer.” David stood his ground, but Jenna placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and guided him aside. The second David was out of the way, the officers stormed in and stopped in front of Theo. 

 

“Theo Raeken you are under arrest for First-degree arson, two accounts attempted voluntary manslaughter, and the Second-Degree murder of Garrett Dye.” Jenna and David simply stared, far too shocked to do anything else. Theo made no effort to fight as he was handcuffed and dragged from the room, eyes finding Liam’s. The younger finally recovered from his shock, attempting to bolt out of the room. David’s strong hand on his upper arm stopped Liam in his tracks, who was only released when the sound of tires left the lot. 

 

“What the hell dad? Why didn’t either of you do anything?” Liam was positively fuming, pacing the room. 

 

“There was nothing we could have done. The boy had four charges.  _ Four _ .” David attempted to reason with his step-son, who only stopped pacing to glare at him. 

 

“Liam.” Jenna’s sharp voice snapped his attention to his mother, who looked frightening to say the least. “Did you know Theo did those things?” Liam glared at his mother, shaking his head. 

 

“No, because he didn’t! Do you really think Theo would burn down our house and try to kill you two?” When neither of his parents answered, Liam scoffed and pulled on his shoes. As he prepared to leave, Jenna’s voice halted him. 

 

“There’s a reason we told you that he had to leave. Street trash does not belong in our household. One that we now don’t have because of that boy.” Liam felt his blood boil as he bolted out of the hotel room. His parents let him go, Jenna only slightly regretting the harshness of her words. Liam stuffed his hands into the pocket of his hoodie to avoid hitting something, and walked towards the sheriff’s office. It took nearly twenty minutes of heated persuasion, as Liam called it, to convince Sheriff Stilinski to allow Liam to see Theo. The older boy was sitting at the back of his cell, hands chained together but legs still free. He glanced up when Liam entered, looking around for the rest of the younger teen’s family. 

 

“Just you huh? Guess I earned that.” Theo seemed to mutter the second part more to himself, but Liam heard him nonetheless. 

 

“You didn’t do shit. Why don’t you tell them you’re innocent.” Theo let out a bitter laugh, leaning back against the wall behind himself. 

 

“They won’t believe that Liam. That’s probably the most overused line in the book.” Liam let out a sigh, sitting on the floor outside of Theo’s cell. 

 

“What evidence do they have?” Liam asked. Theo shrugged, raising his cuffed hands. 

 

“Just speculation. But once they gather more evidence they’re shipping me upstate. I’m already 19 so I’ll probably be heading to hell sooner than planned.” Liam felt anger flare up at the careless way Theo spoke about the situation, as if taking the blame for other people’s crimes were more important than his own life. 

 

“Would you shut the hell up, they aren’t sending you anywhere!” Liam’s raised voice had Theo’s face splitting into a grin. If Theo weren’t on the other side of the bars, Liam probably would have tried to strangle him. The older boy collapsed onto the bench with a sigh as Liam stormed from the room, only to return a few minutes later with the Sheriff in tow. 

 

“You read the report sheriff, you know there was no way Theo set the fire! He was inside the whole time.” Stilinski did not reply to the teen still arguing with him, instead leveling a glare at Theo. The dark haired boy returned the ferocity of his gaze, until Liam broke their standoff. 

 

“The words on the sidewalk, why would Theo write that when he is-” Liam did not get to finish, Theo lunging at the bars and shouting his name. The werewolf quickly realized the mistake of grabbing Liam to silence him when the Sheriff’s gun pressed against his temple. 

 

“I can’t let you tell him, it would only put you in more danger.” Theo leaned forward to whisper before removing his hand from Liam’s mouth and taking a step back, hands raised. He flashed the sheriff a haughty look, a grin spreading across his face. Liam could see right through the mask, but Noah seemed fooled. 

 

“Do that again and you won’t even make it to the trial.” The sheriff cautiously lowered his gun, but did not put it completely away. Noah turned partially to Liam, inquiring if the teen was alright while also keeping an eye on the older boy standing a foot from the bars. 

 

“Sheriff come on, he’s innocent. There is no concrete evidence on him. Besides, why would he put himself at risk just to save my dad, if the fire was set to kill us.” Noah ran a hand down his face, resting a hand on Liam’s shoulder to cease his talking.

 

“Son, I don’t know why you are adamant about telling me this, but I already know that Raeken is a werewolf.” Noah paused to glare at the alpha, who had taken a half step back in surprise. “I also know that he tries damn hard to hide it and that he used to-” 

 

“Sheriff, if you know this, why am I here?” Theo spoke up for the first time, the look in his eye almost frantic as he attempted to cut off Noah’s sentence. 

 

“You’re here because you have ties to all of the crimes. The higher up are probably just covering all of their bases. You were seen near the spot where we found Garrett’s body, and you have been staying at the Geyer household for a little while now. Garrett and his girlfriend Violet were pretty well known among the hunting community, so you have motive as well.” When Noah finished, Liam’s frustration and anger levels seemed to have hit a peak. When the first, “I-” slipped from his lips, Theo’s eyes widened almost comically. The werewolf rushed to speak, almost yelling in an attempt to speak over Liam. 

 

“Where was his body found?” 

 

Noah narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing over his shoulder. Theo pretended to ignore the glare Liam sent his way. The sheriff let out a sigh, taking a small step closer to the bars. 

 

“We didn’t find much, just a finger, but the prints matched Garrett Dye’s. Someone spotted it in the dumpster behind Violet’s old apartment. We thoroughly searched the rest of the trash, the surrounding area, and the landfill where the trash was regularly sent. Nothing turned up results.” Liam felt a shiver of fear run down his spine at the Sheriff’s words, but he also strangely felt satisfied. 

 

“If it was found near Violet, why the hell am I locked up?” Theo seemed slightly agitated, his arms crossed against his chest. 

 

“As I already said, you were spotted in the area near the estimated time of the murder. Besides the fact that the remains were found a day before the fire. There’s always the possibility that you panicked.” Theo repressed the urge to growl, taking a breath and letting go of the tension in his shoulders.

 

“Doesn’t that seem a bit convenient to you, Sheriff? Someone finds this supposed evidence, then comes after the Geyer’s when they knew I would be home. I’m just saying that it’s a little weird.” Noah sighed, running a hand down his face once more. Liam had been mostly silent up until this point, but finally spoke up. 

 

“Sheriff he’s innocent.” Noah watched as the two shared a look that he could not decipher before turning around and gesturing for Liam to follow. 

 

“Let me make some calls, boys.” The younger teen tore his eyes from Theo’s, leaving the room with Sheriff Stilinski. Theo once again took a seat on the bench, running a hand through his hair. After almost two hours according to the large wall clock, Liam rushed back into the room. A few seconds later Noah entered as well, holding a small card.

 

“You’re free to go for the time being.” Theo briefly wondered how he pulled it off, but did not have time to ponder it as the sheriff approached the holding cell. He hesitated a few moments before leaning forward, pausing with the card slightly away from the reader. 

 

“C’mon Sheriff, it’s right there. Just up and down.” Liam could tell Theo was beginning to lose his temper, so he attempted to urge the sheriff onward. He had the urge to punch Theo when the werewolf’s temper got the better of him and the older boy lunged forward, reaching for the card. It was snatched just out of his grip, Noah leveling him with a stern glare. 

 

“If I see any behavior I find even remotely suspicious, I’ll put so many bullets in your head God won’t even recognize you.” Theo seemed to regain composure at the threat, giving Stilinski a cocky smirk as he wrapped his fingers around the bars of the cell. 

 

“I’m an atheist; fire at will.” Theo returned the challenge, earning a scowl from Noah as the officer swiped his key card and slid open the cell. As soon as he was out, Liam stepped forward, throwing a punch at the older boy. Theo caught his fist inches from his face, arching a brow at Liam. The swing had caught him off guard, the werewolf having barely reacted in time. Noah simply shook his head, walking back to his office. Theo dropped Liam’s fist, the two sharing a silent conversion with their eyes before Theo was striding past the younger boy and throwing open the door to the police station. 

 

After catching up to the alpha, Liam tucked his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie, glancing sideways at the older boy. He seemed lost in thought, gaze unwavering on the gravel of the road.

 

“I can’t go back with-” Theo began, at the same time as Liam muttered out, “About what the Sheriff said-“ 

 

Their eyes met, both boys stopping to face one another. Theo nodded for the younger to continue.

 

“What the Sheriff said… Did you really plant all of the evidence and start the fire to cover your tracks?” Theo felt a flare of anger at Liam’s words, his fists clenching and claws threatening to fall. 

 

“You really think I would do that? After saving your ass in the woods you think I would threaten the safety of people who took me in just to cover my own ass? Go to hell, Liam.” The younger boy felt a minuscule flash of guilt at the accusation, but he shoved it away harshly. 

 

“What did you do with the rest of him?” Theo seemed to falter slightly at Liam’s question. He never answered, instead choosing to stop a few steps from the entrance to the motel parking lot. 

 

“Don’t worry about it, just go back to your parents. I’ll see you around Liam.” Theo offered him a clearly fake grin, turning to walk away when a hand latched onto his wrist. Dragging Theo in the direction of the motel room, Liam took advantage of the older boy’s shock and threw open the door. His parents looked up, clearly startled. Their surprised faces turned to anger, and David rose from his seat. Step-father and son stood silently, glaring the other down. All eyes snapped to Theo when the older teen spoke and carefully removed Liam’s hand from his wrist. 

 

“I’m just going to grab my bag. Liam said the cops left it here.” The younger boy spun on him, rage burning in Liam’s eyes. 

 

“Like hell you are! They dropped all charges, so you’re staying with us.” Jenna ignored all of Liam’s words, settling a cold stare on Theo. 

 

“You have three minutes to gather your things and get out.” She said nothing further, turning back to the papers in front of her. Anger flared through Liam at her words, but leaned back against the small countertop as Theo gather his meager belongings. Just before the older boy zipped up his backpack, Liam rushed over and grabbed some clothes from his own bag, some still containing the tags from the shopping trip his mother forced them to make after the fire. Jenna narrowed her eyes at this, Liam explaining that Theo had refused to spend her money on anything for himself, so it was only fair that Liam offer him some protection from the elements if they kicked him out. The stern woman simply nodded, returning to her papers once again. When Liam followed Theo to the door, David placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder to stop him. 

 

“At least let me walk him out. I want to say bye.” Theo could hear the younger boy’s heart skip a beat, but David gave a small nod to his son. As soon as the door closed behind them, Liam pulled a set of keys from his back pocket, swinging them around his finger. He shot Theo a triumphant grin, reveling in the shock his action created. Snatching the backpack from Theo’s grip, the younger boy walked towards his father’s blue Toyota. Liam unlocked the truck and slid into the passenger seat, tossing Theo’s bag into the back. He reached over to press the ignition before rolling down the window and beckoning for the werewolf to follow. The sound of the motel door opening made Theo bolt forward. He launched himself into the driver’s side and threw the truck into reverse. David and Jenna’s yelling was slowly drowned out as Theo sped from the parking lot, shooting a nervous glance in Liam’s direction. 

 

Theo slammed on the brakes outside the city limits, forcibly opening his door and stumbling to Liam’s side of the truck. He yanked the door open, pulling the younger boy out by the collar of his shirt. 

 

“What the fuck was that? Cops are going to be trailing us now, and if we go back we both would most likely get arrested. You are one dumb son of a bitch, Liam.” Theo was practically growling, anger blazing in his eyes. The younger boy simply grinned, leaning further into the truck where Theo had pinned him. 

 

“Then we can’t get caught I guess.” Theo leaned back, releasing Liam and running a hand through his hair as he paced. “Besides, you didn’t have to follow me.” Theo let out a real growl at that, turning his back to Liam for a moment. When he faced the younger boy again, Theo seemed far more composed. The alpha settled back into the truck, adjusting the seat and mirror until he was satisfied. Flashing Liam a grin, Theo gestured to the open road in front of them. 

 

“Where to, Angel?”


	4. Hum Hallelujah

Theo pulled into the parking spot, shaking Liam’s shoulder to rouse the younger boy from his sleep. Looking around groggily and rubbing sleep from his eyes, Liam inquired about their location.

 

“We drove West for about 3 hours, I didn’t pay attention to what town this is.” Liam simply nodded, moving his seat back into a forward position and stared at the wallet Theo pulled from his back pocket. The werewolf counted the bills and loose change in the worn leather, flashing Liam a toothy grin when he finished. 

 

“We have a grand total of three dollars and fifty-two cents cash. What is our first stop?” 

 

Liam ran a frustrated hand over his face in response, letting out a deep sigh. “Great, we’ve got no money and only the clothes you could fit in that ugly ass backpack. What now?” 

 

Theo simply offered a grin, pulling a card from his back pocket. He gestured to the bank ATM across the lot. 

 

“I may have swiped this from your dad. I wasn't going to leave without at least taking something with me. Although, I may have taken more than I anticipated.” He gave Liam a once-over and arched a brow. Liam gaped at him, reaching over to snatch the credit card from his grip once he recovered from surprise. When his fingers were mere centimeters from the shiny surface, it was yanked out of his reach. 

 

“C’mon Theo, give it to me. I know the PIN.” A brief  _ tsk _ sound came from Theo before a firm hand on his chest sent Liam back against the seat. 

 

“We’ve got to be careful about this Liam.” Theo’s chiding voice only generated an exaggerated pout from the younger boy, who eventually gestured for a continued explanation once his curiosity grew too strong. “First, we take all the cash from the card, then we burn it and the car.” Liam’s head jerked up in surprise at the last statement from the werewolf. 

 

“Whoa, whoa whoa. What do you mean burn the car? How are we supposed to get around after that?” Theo simply rolled his eyes, gesturing to the many cameras littering the building on the street. 

 

“We’ve been spotted by at least six of these cameras, they are probably sending officers our way any second now. We take the cash and our shit, then we make it look like an accident. Drive the car into a river or push it down an embankment, I’ll think of something. Just tell me the PIN, then wait here and be quiet.” Liam recited the PIN to his father’s bank account, watching as Theo stepped out of the truck and walked to the ATM outside of the small gas station. The teen glanced nervously at the cameras surrounding them and the traffic passing on the street. While he waited anxiously for Theo to return, Liam fished around in his pockets for spare change. He came up with a grand total of twenty dollars and sixty-three cents when the car door opened. Liam dropped several pennies, looking like a deer caught in headlights as Theo tossed two shopping bags into the backseat of the truck. 

 

“Damn Liam, you didn’t tell me how loaded your dad was.” Theo offered up a large wad of cash, a shit-eating grin spread across his face. “Seven thousand, after I bought a few things.” The younger boy simply blinked owlishly at the cash held near his face. An entire seven thousand, and Theo had not even stolen his family’s main card. Liam returned the older boy’s grin, even as a small pool of guilt made itself known in his stomach. 

 

Their joy was short lived though. Theo froze momentarily, straining to hear something Liam could not. He jumped into the truck, speeding out of the lot so quickly the tires spun and Liam was thrown against the dashboard. 

 

“What the hell Theo? A little warning would have been nice.” A roll of the older boy’s eyes was his only answer, before the werewolf finally deemed it safe enough to slow down slightly. 

 

“There were sirens, Liam. Listen.” Sure enough, when Liam strained his hearing enough that his heart pounded in his ears, the teen could make out the sound of sirens wailing in the distance. However, by the time Theo pulled into the parking lot of a shady motel the sirens were gone, even for the werewolf’s hearing. Theo disappeared once again, only to resurface from the building a few minutes later and grab all of the bags from the backseat, the cash tucked into the bottom the old backpack. Liam followed the alpha to a small room near the end of the building, wrinkling his nose at the smell coming from the bed. He decided to steer clear, instead seating himself in the one chair the room held, watching as Theo stowed their four bags into the closet. Liam could not see the items he pulled from one of the three shopping bags, but stood to follow as Theo made for the door. The alpha blocked the door, preventing Liam from exiting. The younger boy attempted to push him out of the way, but Theo did not even flinch. Liam felt his anger mounting when Theo’s firm voice sounded for the first time since entering the room. 

 

“Stay here.” 

 

Liam narrowed his eyes at Theo, again attempting to squeeze around the werewolf’s bulky frame. “I’m not some dog you can order around Theo, move.” Shaking his head, Theo only stood up taller to block more of the doorway. 

 

“You need to stay put. There’s no cameras on this place so the cops won’t know you are here, but if we both leave the same time that might raise suspicion.” Liam could not argue with the older boy’s reasoning, and despite his anger Liam returned to his seat. Theo pulled the collar of his jacket up further and left the room, promising to be back in the morning. Still not trusting the bed, Liam curled up in the chair and attempted to sleep. 

 

After drifting in and out of consciousness for a few hours, Liam decided to rise for good. Hoping a warm shower would remove the discomfort in his spine from sleeping at an awkward angle, Liam headed toward the bathroom. The shower seemed to be in much better shape than the rest of the room, aside from the leak in the faucet. Steam billowed out of the door once Liam opened it again 20 minutes later. The teen checked the clock before changing quickly and tentatively sitting on the edge of the bed and flicking on the small TV. The door to the room opened nearly an hour later, and Theo walked inside. 

 

The older boy was covered in dozens of cuts and already healing bruises. Glass stuck out of his skin in different places, small cuts in his cheeks signifying the recent removal of glass shards from there as well. The bone of his left elbow was bent at a strange angle, and the jacket he wore upon leaving was noticeably absent. 

 

“What the hell happened to you? It looks like you got in a car accide-” Theo simply arched an eyebrow, grabbing his forearm and wrenching hard. A sickening crack resounded as he broke the bone again, attempting to set it into place. His healing abilities seemed to pick up soon after, healing the werewolf’s body slowly. Liam felt the urge to vomit at the display, but forced it down as Theo began speaking. 

 

“I had to make it look real, so I ran the truck off into a ditch and slammed it into a tree. I cut up the jacket and hung it on a tree in front of the car. Then the car caught fire.” Theo simply offered a grin as he tossed a box of matches onto the bed near Liam. 

 

“And all the glass?” Liam questioned. At this, Theo’s grin faded, and he began packing their things once again. 

 

“I made it look like you were thrown from the wreck before it caught fire. That’s why I took your jacket dumbass.” Liam went quiet after the explanation, simply nodding and taking two of the four bags from Theo. They carried their possessions out of the room without a word, Liam looking up in shock as his eyes fell upon a black chevy truck in the lot that was certainly not there last night. Theo offered up a grin, swinging a set of keys around his finger in a mockery of Liam’s actions the night they left. 

 

A few hours into the drive, Liam became bored. The younger boy began flipping through channels on the radio, stopping on the local news broadcast. A reporter’s nasally voice came through the speakers. 

 

“The vehicle stolen by the wanted convict Theo Raeken was found around midday today. It appears that his hostage Liam Dunbar was thrown from the wreckage before it caught fire, trapping Raeken inside. The only remains found to positively ID Raeken by was a molar, a unique chipping on the tooth that the wanted criminal received after assaulting a police officer late last year. If anyone has information on the location of his freed hostage Liam Dunbar, please call the number for your local police station.” 

 

Theo began laughing loudly after the reporter’s voice cut off, giving way to news about the local baseball game. “She’s got it totally wrong. I didn’t take  _ you _ hostage, you forced me to take you along.” Liam did not find this nearly as funny as Theo did, instead crossing his arms and pouting in the passenger seat until a song he liked came on. 

 

It was only a few hours until Liam declared his need to pee, only to be silenced by Theo. Liam began to complain about his discomfort when Theo interrupted with faux seriousness. 

 

“I don’t care if you’re uncomfortable. You’re my hostage for fuck’s sake!” Liam let out a barking laugh in response, but still offered a snarky response of his own. 

 

“Not anymore, you’re technically dead.” 

 

Theo rolled his eyes. “Please Angel, i've been ‘technically dead’ for years.” Liam laughed once again, earning a grin from Theo. The werewolf pulled off at the next exit, moving their belongings into the two backpacks. Theo’s belongings went into the old, well-worn backpack; Liam’s in the new pack Theo purchased at their last stop. The box of matches and half of the cash joined Theo’s clothes, with a spare knife and the remaining half of cash tucked in with Liam’s belongings. The meager amount of items in each bag did not even fill them halfway, but Theo tucked them protectively under the seat nonetheless. When Liam finally returned, the two set out on the road once again. 

 

Even Theo’s keen senses did not sense any irregularities in the gray van that pulled out after them. 

 

                 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The blue Toyota created a pinging noise on the monitor, an old man wearing a thread-bare vest and old blue jeans pointed to the teenage boy sitting in the passenger seat. 

 

“That’s him alright. Call her.” A picture was taken of the grainy security camera and sent to a hidden number after several missed call attempts. It contained only the caption: “The alpha is with him at almost all times. Good Luck.” No address was provided, yet the restaurant name and city blinked in the corner. 

 

Hours later, a gray van was pulling out of the garage, driving for the small town West of Beacon Hills. 

 

              ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Theo roused from sleep, an uneasy feeling taking over his body - like they were being watched. The alpha allowed his eyes to glow red, effectively giving him night vision. All he could see was Liam’s sleeping form stretched across the backseat and the giant metal siding of the two large trucks he had strategically placed their white Chevy Silverado between. The werewolf stirred in his seat for a few moments, debating whether or not to step outside and investigate. As he reached for the handle of the door, Liam’s sleep riddled voice made him pause. 

 

“Is something wrong T-” A large yawn cut off his words, but Liam seemed more awake now. He watched Theo with curiosity, waiting for a reply from the older boy. 

 

“I don’t know. Go back to sleep, I’ll handle it.” The younger boy was definitely awake now. If something was bothering Theo enough for the werewolf to even mention it, then that alone was enough to create a feeling of dread in Liam. They both peered around in the darkness for a moment, Theo moving his seat back into a forward position while Liam climbed into the passenger seat. Liam eventually whispered for Theo to drive, waiting until they had pulled away from the truck stop to turn to face the alpha. 

 

“There has been the same gray van at every place we stop. I think they may be following us.” Theo glanced at Liam in shock, surprised he had not noticed this pattern. The urgent, barely concealed panic in Liam’s tone proved that the human was telling the truth. 

 

“It could be a coincidence, but we need to be cautious from now on. It might be hunters.” The younger boy agreed, glancing in the rearview mirror out of paranoia every few minutes. 

 

“Relax Liam, they wouldn’t follow this soon. At least not if they are smart.” 

 

Evidently, whoever the mysterious stalker may be, they are not as smart as Theo gave them credit for. The next time the boys pulled off of the backroads they had been traveling in an attempt to avoid being seen, the gray van pulled into the small convenience store soon after. The black chevy and the gray van were the only two cars in the lot, other than the small prius that Liam assumed belonged to the owner of the store. Liam kept an eye on the van while Theo filled up the gas tank, only turning around and reaching for their bags when Theo went inside the store to pay. The werewolf always refused to allow Liam to carry his backpack, and Liam did not think anything of it until now. He had caught sight of something in the bottom of the backpack when Theo reached for the money. It had almost looked like a mask, but Liam could not think of any reason that Theo would carry around some old Halloween mask. Nonetheless, he reached into Theo’s backpack, careful not to move it from where Theo left it. Liam attempted to see into the darkness of the backpack, waiting for his eyes to adjust. Finally tiring of the waiting, Liam reached inside and wrapped his fingers around the object. It was clearly not a cheap Halloween mask as Liam had originally thought. 

 

It was heavy, made of some kind of metal and had small tubes attached that ran along the sides in weird patterns. The more Liam examined the mask, the more he began to feel tense. Soon, full blown panic seized his chest, and Liam dropped the mask, bolting out of the car. The urge to scream crawled it’s way up his throat at the sight of the mask lying on the seat. Liam rushed into the bathroom outside of the store, leaning heavily against the sink as he attempted to steady his heart rate. Eyes squeezed shut and heart pounding in his ears, Liam failed to hear the bathroom door swing open and a quiet pair of footsteps creep up behind him. However, he did notice when an arm wrapped around his middle, another coming up and cutting off his airway. Heels clicked against the tile floor as Liam spun around, attempting to throw off his attacker. 

 

“Hello again Liam. It’s a shame your boyfriend isn’t here. I had to watch as you killed Garrett, he should be able to see the pain on your face when you die.” Violet stood in the doorway, a knife held tightly in her right hand. Liam gasped for breath against the forearm blocking his airway as the man holding him began talking. 

 

“Violet, can you stop with the dramatics and just stab him? The Alpha will notice he is gone soon.” Violet rolled her eyes, but took a step forward. Liam began thrashing around, attempting to throw off the man holding him in vain. Violet got closer, only to stumble back when Liam kicked her in the gut. 

 

“Hold him tighter William. The little runt isn’t getting away again.” The grip of the hunter behind him tightened in response, causing Liam to gasp, as Violet walked closer once again. Stalling payed off though, because the door swung open with a growl and a flash of red eyes before Violet was being thrown into the far wall. The hunter, William, pulled out a knife of his own, throwing Liam out of his way. He charged at Theo, getting only two swipes in before Theo’s claws sunk into his gut. Liam sat up against the wall, movement on the other side of the restroom catching his eye. Violet leaned against one of the doors, holding a small glass container in front of her, a lighter held underneath it. Liam worried briefly if it was an explosive, judging by the fear that briefly flashed across Theo’s face. However, this thought was dismissed when a fine purple mist began spreading quickly across the room. Theo threw his arm up to cover his nose and rushed forward towards Violet. But after only a moment of standing in the smoke, the werewolf collapsed to his knees. Liam did not feel affected, so he was confused as to why Theo looked to be on the brink of passing out. 

 

His questions would have to wait though, since Violet was slowly limping closer. She hissed every time she put weight on her clearly broken leg. Liam felt anger well up at the sight of the girl that had attacked he and Theo twice now. Having gone so long without his medication and forcing his anger down for days, combined with the adrenaline of a fight, had Liam’s legs moving without him. Anger blazed through him, spreading fire to his fingertips as Liam picked up the knife dropped by William and stalked closer. Violet looked surprised, but sneered at him nonetheless. Her knife was gripped in her left hand this time, the right supporting her body as she slowly moved along the wall. Liam’s eyes stung slightly from the smoke, but he still forced his way forward, stepping around Theo’s unconscious form. 

 

“You can’t beat me, even wounded I’m still a better fighter than you.” Violet’s voice shook slightly near the end of her bold statement, betraying her true feelings. Liam simply sighed, shifting his grip on the knife. A small amount of Theo’s blood stained the end of the knife Liam held, making the teen grimace slightly. 

 

“Do you really need to be so dramatic, can’t we just fight?” Liam lunged forward after he spoke, Violet only barely dodging his attack. The sharp movement through her balance off though, and she collapsed with a cry after putting her full weight on the broken leg. This left her unguarded, and Liam seized the opportunity. The sharp metal of the knife cut through flesh, piercing her heart with medical precision. She let out a soft cry before going still, blood oozing out from the knife buried in her chest. 

 

Liam forced down the urge to vomit, turning to Theo’s unconscious form instead. With great difficulty the human got Theo to his feet, putting the older boy’s arm over his shoulder and unsteadily walking the both of them to the car. A few steps out of the bathroom and Theo was coughing loudly, bending over more and clutching his throat as he regained consciousness. Liam waited for the alpha to regain use of his airway correctly before leading him into the store. The younger boy was coming up with an excuse to use on the store owner, but when they entered the store appeared empty. Theo sluggishly walked over to the glass fridge in the back, pulling out several water bottles and chugging three before he slowed down to breathe. 

 

Once he returned to normal, or as normal as Theo could get, he walked past Liam and pressed a few buttons on the computer behind the counter. 

 

“What are you doing, Theo? And what was that purple smoke back there?” Theo glanced up at Liam before continuing his work on the computer. 

 

“I’m disabling the security cameras and deleting the footage of the last twenty-four hours. And that smoke was wolfsbane. I should have known she would go for that, fucking coward.” Theo seemed to be muttering to himself by the time he finished speaking and dissolved into mumbles. Liam shrugged to himself, deciding to press for further answers later. He rounded the counter to watch over Theo’s shoulder and let out a shocked gasp. Behind the counter, the clerk was lying dead, his throat slit. Liam glanced from the dead man to Theo, and then back again. When the alpha finally noticed Liam’s wandering gaze, he narrowed his eyes at Liam. 

 

“Before you ask, no, I didn’t kill him.” Liam let out a sigh of relief, immediately feeling guilty over being relieved instead of saddened that an innocent man was dead. The two stole as many supplies as they believed they would need for a while, fleeing the scene. When Liam climbed back into the car, the mask was gone. Just the memory of the object sent shivers down his spine. Liam began rattling off question after question. Soon, Theo shot him an angry look, pulling over once they were several miles down the road. 

 

“Why did you touch my stuff?” Liam was cut off mid sentence by Theo’s angry, yet controlled, voice. His only reply was a shrug from Liam, who retaliated with a question of his own. 

 

“What the hell was that thing? I haven’t been that afraid in a long time.” Theo avoided his gaze before sighing, reaching into the backseat and pulling his backpack into his lap. The werewolf moved to open the zipper but Liam’s hands shot forward, holding Theo’s larger ones in place. 

 

“Don’t take it out, I hate that damn mask.” Theo nodded, placing the backpack in its original position. Theo finally met Liam’s blue eyes as he spoke. 

 

“Have you heard of the Dread Doctors Liam?” At the shake of the younger boy’s head, Theo let out a relieved sigh. 

 

“Good, let's keep it that way.” Liam blinked in shock for a second before rolling his eyes. 

 

“No way in hell are you hiding this from me. What the fuck is that thing and why did it scare me so bad?” Theo sighed once again, starting the truck once more and pulling back onto the road. 

 

“It’s a mask like you said. I don’t actually know why it scares people, but it has that effect on everyone the first time they see it. Every time after that, the person who sees it will be compelled to put on the mask. Look Liam, just stay away from it.” Liam agreed, but Theo could still feel the curiosity coming off the younger boy in waves. “Promise me, Angel. Promise you won’t touch it again.” Liam nodded, turning to face Theo as he promised, then asked another question. 

 

“Why do you have it Theo? And who are the Dread Doctors?” Theo glanced over at him, staying silent for a moment; it was almost as if he was debating whether or not to tell Liam the truth. 

 

“What, not who. Those things were nothing more than monsters. They turned me. Hell, the bastards practically raised me. The Dread Doctors was more like a gang than a pack. They were all alphas, except for me. Some freaks that were practically from the dawn of time. They dressed like they were from some steampunk convention.” Liam could tell Theo was attempting to make light of the lasting dark impression these werewolves left on him. “They went around killing for fun, made me into their little puppet to do some dirty work for them. Those fuckers trained me into a killer, got me to murder a close friend for alpha powers. That’s why Malia warned you to stay away. I killed Lydia’s boyfriend for his alpha status, and one of Scott’s betas on a power high. That was my mask up until six months ago.” 

 

Liam was silent after being told the majority of Theo’s past. Truthfully, he did not know what to say. The silence stretched on for nearly a full hour before Liam spoke, 

 

“Why did you keep the mask?” Theo winced slightly, casting a guilty look into the backseat. 

 

“I don’t know. To remind myself I guess.” Liam did not press farther, Theo practically squirming in his skin at having shared this much so far. They drove for several more hours before pulling off into a secluded part of the dirt road to sleep. The pair drove for several more days, until the supplies they stole from the gas station or from hunters who attacked them along the way ran out. They eventually stopped at a small diner in town, Theo grabbing some cash from his bag as Liam tucked a 9mm pistol in his waistband. (After the second ambush by the hunters, Theo had pulled off into an abandoned building and spent the day teaching Liam to shoot the handgun Theo had stolen from the police station. He also taught him how to drive, so that Liam could get them out of somewhere if Theo was hurt or turned.) As they walked into the diner, Liam felt nervous. He knew the thick sunglasses and baseball caps hid their appearances for the most part, but he could not shake the paranoia that everyone knew who they were. No one did of course, and they even managed to pull off the ridiculous plan Theo came up with for robbing the place. 

 

Several people gasped when Liam pretended to faint on the way to the restroom after their meal, all five people in the diner rushing over to Liam. Since the two teens were the only customers, Theo had free access to the register when even the cook rushed over. He took a majority of the cash in the register, leaving just enough that no one would notice at first. The very reason they chose this specific diner was the lack of security systems whatsoever. They were an old-fashioned twenty four hour diner, and therefore had no need for alarms or cameras. Theo rushed over as soon as he finished, feigning panic over Liam’s fall. He insisted they needed to go to the hospital, and got away without paying. Theo carried Liam out to the car, setting him in the passenger seat before speeding out of the lot. 

 

Liam sat up, counting the cash Theo had slipped into his pocket as he picked Liam up. The two laughed as the truck spun up dust into the air, the diner long behind them before anyone realized that five hundred dollars was missing from the register. 

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Liam was awakened when Theo slammed on the brakes, jerking the wheel to the side. The alpha let out a growl, jumping out of the truck as soon as it stopped. Liam’s sleep fogged brain finally caught up on the sound of gunshots, ducking into the floorboard. He reached a blind hand up to put the truck in park, remaining down until the sound of gunfire ceased. Liam got out of the truck as quickly as possible, rushing over to where Theo knelt with hand wrapped around a man’s neck. 

 

“Theo wait! We can use him.” Theo let go only slightly, snarling at the man below him. His eyes were glowing red when Liam crouched across from him after checking the man leaning slumped against the fender of a red Ford. The dead man had long gashes across his chest, clearly from claws. Liam focused on the furious alpha in front of him, still slightly strangling the man he pinned to the ground.    


 

“Theo, if you don’t kill him right here, we may be able to get some information about who is hunting us.” The alpha sighed, his eyes flickering back to normal. He still showed an insane amount of strength from his anger though, because he raised the hunter by the collar and lifted his feet off the ground, only to slam the man into the gravel outside of the truck. Liam was left to watch the unconscious man while Theo dug around in the truck for rope. Once the man was tied and thrown into the back, the two set off for the nearest motel. 

 

Theo paid in cash again, dragging the man into the shitty hotel room and tying him to a chair. Once the hunter began to regain consciousness, Liam woke Theo up. Liam turned the TV up to its loudest volume as Theo searched his bag. He pulled out several things, Liam wincing as he imagined what Theo could possibily need a pair of what looked like pliers for. He soon learned that they were in fact not pliers. At his confused look, Theo explained that they were typically used for pulling nails out of horseshoes, but were less commonly used for pulling teeth and nails out of those who would not talk. The man sitting in the chair glared at them, practically snarling as Theo walked closer. 

 

“Let’s get this party started.” Liam damn near shivered at the tone the werewolf used. The younger boy watched Theo for a moment. The alpha moved far different than normal, his movements practiced and cold, much like the way he fought. 

 

“So, why don’t you tell us who wants us dead.” When the man failed to answer, Theo punched him hard enough for the skin to split across the man’s cheek. Their captive let out a hiss of pain, but refused to answer the question. Liam could not count the amount of times Theo hit the hunter for not answering. Theo’s patience for the current tactic seemed to run out, his knuckles healing over as the werewolf unleashed his claws with a flick of his wrist. 

 

“I will ask you again. Who is sending you after us?” The man answered with a, “go to hell” as he spit blood. Theo sneered at him, using a razor sharp claw to carve a small chunk of flesh from the man’s arm. The hunter stifled a scream, grunting in pain instead, but still refused to answer. After another fifteen minutes of pointless carving, Theo retracted his blood covered claws and walked over to Liam. He used the cover of searching for a new tool as cover for whispering to the younger boy. 

 

“I really want to kill him.” Liam resisted the urge to laugh at Theo’s dwindling patience, glancing over at the hunter breathing heavily. The man had his eyes closed, his chest heaving. 

 

“It may be difficult to get a confession out of a dead man.” Theo gave him a sour look, picking up the plier-like object. Liam spoke before he turned around.  “He’s going to break soon, I’m sure you wolves could stand much more, but us humans are frail creatures.” Theo simply grinned, but his expression was schooled back into disinterest by the time his face turned back to the hunter. 

 

“I am losing my patience. Tell me who is hunting us or I will break every bone in your body one by one.” The hunter shook his head. Theo forced his mouth open, slowly pulling out a molar as the man screamed in pain. The noise was luckily muted by the television blasting nearby. Once the hunter caught his breath, he glared up at Theo, who glared right back. 

 

“I ain’t telling you or your boy-toy anything. As I said, go to hell.” Theo let out a sigh, his patience beginning to leave him. The alpha pulled out three teeth in a row, not stopping to give the hunter time to recover. Liam winced, a small ache forming in his jaw. When the screams finally died down, the hunter was on the verge of passing out. Liam could feel his anger growing, and he knew the old man may not wake up once he blacked out. Liam waited for Theo to turn to face him, the werewolf running a hand across his face in frustration. 

 

“Theo?” When he received a grunt in return, Liam grabbed a knife from the table. “Don’t let him pass out.” 

 

Theo smirked, dropping his tool and moving behind the tied hunter. Liam walked over, closing his eyes briefly to reign in his anger before he spoke. 

 

“Tell us who wants us dead.” The man simply gave him a bloody grin, several of his teeth missing. 

 

“I ain’t telling you shit, bitchboy.” Liam sighed, shaking his head. He pressed the knife against one of the man’s fingers, resisting the urge to grin at the shaky inhale he received from the hunter. 

 

“You sure?” The hunter spit at Liam, who wiped it from his face with disgust. Theo grabbed the man’s jaw, forcing it closed hard enough for several teeth to bleed. He released to allow the man to talk once more, the warning clear. 

 

“Go. To. Hell.” Liam let out a sigh, putting as much force as possible behind the knife. It cut deep, getting lodged in the bone of the man’s finger. The hunter let out a loud scream, which died in his throat as Liam forced the knife through the bone and into the wood of the chair. 

 

When the man’s head sagged, Theo took just enough pain to wake him up before Liam asked again. Once again the hunter refused, and Liam cut off another finger. Theo awoke the man once more, and when Liam placed the knife against his middle finger, the hunter rushed to speak. 

 

“I’ll talk! Please, just stop and I’ll talk.” Liam took a step back and Theo walked to the front of the man, arching a brow expectantly. 

 

“Her name is Monroe. She took out a pack in Beacon Hills and is looking for others. She heard about an alpha that ran off with a human and has been sending people after you two since. Now please, let me go.” Theo just smiled wickedly, glowing his eyes and walking out of the hunter’s sight. Liam spoke over the sound of breaking bones. 

 

“Now why would we let you go? So you can run back and tell this Monroe person about where we are? I don’t think so.” A growl followed Liam’s words, a large black wolf walking to stand next to Liam. Even on all fours, the animal reached just over Liam’s hip. Red eyes peered into the hunter’s as Liam gathered their things and walked from the room. As he threw the bags into the backseat, a blood-curdling scream came from the room. A woman rushed outside just in time to see a massive black wolf trot out of one of the rooms, blood on it’s paws and muzzle. She peered into the room, passing out almost instantly at the man lying in a pile of his own blood, his throat ripped out. She was unconscious when the black wolf jumped into the open door of the passenger seat of a black chevy, the door closing behind it as a blue eyed teen climbed into the driver’s seat and sped out of the lot. 

 


	5. Alpha Dog

“So we still don’t have any information on who Monroe is, we have is a fucking fed trailing our ass, and there’s a hunter waiting for us back at the motel. Great. Just fucking fantastic, Angel. You wanna tell me how you know he is there?” Liam rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, not meeting Theo’s eyes.

 

“You know that phone you got me? The one that can’t be traced... ” At Theo’s impatient nod, Liam continued. “Well, I was messing around with the settings and accidentally made it traceable.”

 

The glare currently fixed on the side of Liam’s head would have probably melted him eventually if Theo did not pull in the parking lot, cutting off the truck and releasing his claws with a soft _click_. Liam grabbed both a 9mm and a knife, tucking the gun in his waistband and the knife in his boot.

 

Theo help up a hand as Liam reached for the handle, scenting the air. He let out a quiet snarl and shoved Liam behind him, allowing his eyes to glow red, almost breaking the handle off as he forced the door open. Liam looked up in shock to see a man sitting on the bed nearest the door, his eyes glowing a harsh blue. Theo kept himself planted firmly between the intruder and Liam, almost as if trying to keep the younger boy out of sight. Something about this wolf clearly bothered him. The younger boy nearly jumped out of his skin as the bathroom door opened, Theo’s mouth twisting into an even deeper snarl.

 

“Stiles? What the hell are you doing here? And who is this werewolf?” Theo let out an exasperated sigh, but kept his eye on the strange werewolf.

 

“Liam, Theo. Meet Derek. We need to talk.” Liam had not noticed it before, but Theo was slowly inching them backwards, towards the still open door. Derek seemed to notice at the same time Liam did, and the older man let out a growl. Theo growled in response, eyes glowing a deeper red. “Settle down boys. As much as I would love to see Derek rip Theo’s pathetic throat out, Mason and Scott sent me here to bring Liam home. And I would rather do that the easy way.”

 

“I have nothing to say to you Stiles. I’m leaving, and I’m taking Liam with me.” Stiles clicked his tongue disapprovingly, almost like an owner scolding a dog. The human sat on the bed next to Derek, gesturing at the empty bed. Liam went to step forward, but Theo’s arm darted out and blocked his passage. The movement had Derek tensing, and Liam shot Theo an annoyed look.

 

“Look Stiles, it was nice seeing you but we need to get going. There might be hun-” Liam did not even get to finish his sentence, Theo glancing behind them before shoving Liam to the side. A bullet struck the ground exactly where Liam had been standing, another embedding itself into Derek’s arm where he had shoved Stiles off of the bed at the first sign of movement. The older werewolf let out a yelp of pain, taking cover between the two beds. Theo moved over to Liam, wincing as the window above them shattered. Liam was cradling his wrist, the appendage most likely sprained. Two more shots went off before they ceased completely, Theo raising his head to look over the edge. He did not see much of anything before he was being yanked down by Liam.

 

“What the hell are you doing? You’re going to get shot looking out like that.” Theo rolled his eyes, helping Liam to sit up. He placed a hand over the younger boy’s wrist, pulling the pain out. His veins turned black as the pain transferred from Liam’s body to his own.

 

“It’s fine Angel, the sniper is gone.” Liam let out a breath of relief. He glanced behind Theo’s shoulder, nodding his thanks to the older boy before standing. He walked slowly over to where Stiles and Derek crouched between the two beds, Stiles unharmed and inspecting the wound on Derek’s arm. Theo silently padded over, leaning closer over Liam’s shoulder to get a look. Stiles looked panicked as the veins surrounding the wound started turning a murky black. It almost looked as if Derek was taking someone’s pain from how fast the wolfsbane poison was spreading. Theo whispered something to Liam, who passed the older boy his knife. Theo began to step closer, but Stiles glared at him and Derek let out a growl.

 

“Fine, if you don’t want my help, let me talk Liam through it. Stiles, do you have a lighter on you?” At the FBI trainee’s nod, Liam took his knife back from Theo and swallowed deeply. He accepted the lighter from Stiles, looking up at Theo. “This is a special type of wolfsbane, lethal to alpha’s in even the smallest dose, and lethal to beta’s in normal to large doses. Liam, you need to cut the bullet out, but you can’t rupture any major veins around the area or Channing Tatum here dies.” Liam took a deep breath, nodding at Theo’s instructions before carefully reaching into the bullet hole. He dug around for a moment, causing Derek to growl periodically in pain. Eventually, Liam pulled the bullet out and looked at Theo expectantly. At first nothing happened, but when the alpha directed the lighter be held over the wound, black tinted blood began rising towards the flame. Eventually, Derek’s skin and veins returned to their normal color and Liam heated the knife, cauterizing the wound.

 

Liam and Theo escaped the room pretty quickly after that, making sure Derek and Stiles did not stand a chance of following them in Stiles’ beat up Jeep.

 

“Ok what the hell! Why was a sniper after us, and why only shoot the humans when it was very obvious who the fucking werewolves were?” Liam’s hands were thrown around eccentrically as he talked, nearly smacking Theo in the face on more than one occasion.

 

“Look, I don’t know, let’s just get the hell out of this shitty town.” Theo pressed harder on the acceleration, leaving the small town in the rearview mirror.

 

The next town they stopped at had a smaller population than the last, and only one motel in the entire town. This made it difficult for Theo to hide their location, since they jumped motels nightly. On the plus side, this room was nicer than most motels the two teen stayed in. Liam decided to run out for supplies, convincing Theo to sleep for a bit while he was gone.

 

The lights in the only grocery store in town seemed like a beacon in the darkness. Liam shivered against the cold and rushed inside. The store was relatively empty, but Liam still felt slightly paranoid after the sniper incident two days ago. After leaving the store, Liam was so busy glancing over his shoulder that he nearly jumped out of skin at the sound of squealing tires. He looked for the source of the noise, seeing a young girl laying in the road. A silver truck sped away, and Liam rushed over.

 

“Ma’am? Can you hear me?” The girl gave him a shaky nod, sitting up slowly. She seemed unharmed other than the scrapes on her palms, knees, and face. “Do you need to go to a hospital? What happened?” The girl replied with a soft no, explaining that the car did not actually hit her. She finally looked up at Liam’s face.

 

“Hayden? What are you doing out in…” Liam looked around, his eyes finally landing on a sign. “...Lakeside, Colorado?” Hayden looked up in shock at the mention of her name, standing on unsteady legs with Liam’s help.

 

“I’m sorry, do we know each other?”

 

“It’s Liam, from middle school.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she eventually nodded in recollection.

 

“You’re the kid that made me look horrible for my picture.” Liam laughed guiltily, helping her walk to the sidewalk. She seemed to have recovered from her shock, since she started walking towards the parking lot outside of the grocery store. She offered Liam a ride, who accepted with a slight smile. Hayden helped Liam carry the few bags he purchased into the hotel room, Liam stopping just outside the door and calling out for Theo. The door clicked open, but no move was made to open it. Liam slowly pushed the door open to find Theo standing defensively, arms crossed across his chest.

 

“Who is she?” Theo looked extremely agitated, and Liam held up his hands defensively.

 

“This is Hayden, I went to middle school with her.” Theo narrowed his eyes at the girl hiding in Liam’s shadow.

 

“Why is she here?” Liam sighed, relaxing his shoulders slightly. Theo would have simply kicked her out if he did found something wrong with her.

 

“Helping me carry this stuff in. She gave me a ride.”

 

“I can leave if you want, I did not realize you were traveling with someone.” She gave Liam a shy smile and Theo rolled his eyes, snatching a bag from Liam and harshly shoving the contents evenly between their bags.

 

“Hey lovebirds, give me the bags.” Liam jumped at Theo’s voice, wrenching his eyes from Hayden’s face. Theo resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the blush tinting Liam’s cheeks. He finished dividing their supplies, throwing both backpacks over his shoulders.

 

“Time to go, Liam.” Liam turned to Theo with pleading eyes from where he had been talking with Hayden.

 

“C’mon Theo, can’t we stay here a while? The roadtrip can wait a few days.” Theo nearly growled, but forced his face into a calm expression.

 

“Fine, but she is not staying with us.” Liam’s face lit up and he smiled at Theo.

 

“That’s okay, she has a room at this motel too.” Theo really did growl then, slamming their bags down on the table with enough force to crack it slightly. Theo settled onto the bed farthest from the door, bouncing his leg. Liam glanced to Theo then back to Hayden.

 

“Hey Theo, Hayden and I are going out for a bit to catch up okay?” Theo nodded stifly, flicking on the TV and glaring at the cartoon playing quietly.

 

“Do whatever you want, Angel.” Liam winced slightly at the sour way Theo said his nickname, following Hayden out of the room.

 

Fifteen minutes later and the two humans were seated at a small coffee shop, laughing about stupid things Liam did in middle school. Hayden asked a question about Mason and Liam felt a pang in his chest when he remembered his best friend. Fumbling through an answer about Mason’s wellbeing, Liam quickly changed the subject.

 

“So why are you here? In Colorado I mean.” Hayden smiled brightly, describing the project she was working on.

 

“So basically I got permission from my parents to go on an extended vacation to Colorado. I’m here to photograph birds and other animals mostly, basically to practice my photography before I head home.” Liam nodded, explaining how cool he always (never) found photography. Eventually, Hayden wanted to head back to the motel. Liam caught sight of a large black case resting in the back of her car, but Hayden explained it was photography equipment.

 

Once back at the hotel, Hayden retired to her room. Liam stopped outside of the room he shared with Theo, knocking quietly. After almost a full minute of standing in the cold fall weather, the door opened. Theo looked bad, cuts all over his face and arms. He rushed Liam inside, locking the door behind him. The younger boy winced at the volume of the TV. Theo had a man tied in the chair, several fingers missing from the hunter’s right hand and several smoking wounds along his arms and legs. Liam leaned back against the table, watching as Theo held a lighter, running the knife along the flame. The alpha eventually grew bored of the man’s sniveling pleas. He plunged the knife into the man’s arm and the wound released steam, partially cauterized. The hunter screamed, starting to ramble again.

 

“She has your trail, sent me after you. Apparently someone close in her inner circle is after you guys. Please, no more I’m begging you!” Theo simply rolled his eyes, plunging the knife into the man’s gut. The hunter spit up blood, eventually falling still. When Theo turned to face Liam, he still looked pissed off, but slightly more level headed than before Liam left.

 

The human stood awkwardly, glancing in the direction of the curtain covered window.

 

“So, nice weather we’re having?” Theo rubbed his temples, gesturing to the dead man behind him.

 

“Look, I know you aren’t the best conversationalist after an argument, but would you please shut up and help me hide this body.” Liam nodded, accepting the pair of shoes Theo handed him.

 

“Theo these shoes are too big.” Theo rolled his eyes, pulling a small hoodie over his bulky frame and putting on shoes identical to Liam’s.

 

“That’s the point, Angel. Let’s go.” Liam nodded, grabbing a lighter as Theo threw the man over his shoulder. “Oh and Liam, walk with a limp.” Confused, but nodding, Liam did his best to imitate a limp as they walked through the backdoor of the motel and into the woods behind the building. A “ **Danger: Wolves** ” sign pulled a slight laugh from Liam, which received a glare from Theo. As soon as the body was burned, the two headed back to the hotel. After spending two hours cleaning up the blood, the two teens finally got some rest.

 

The next day, Hayden and Liam spent the day touring the town, dragging a reluctant Theo with them. Theo complained about not getting enough rest for the day following, but Liam shut him up with a comment about how he drove for ten hours on two hours of sleep last week. No more hunters had arrived after the first one, yet Theo seemed more and more anxious. Liam credited it to the full moon tonight, but that passed with very little drama. Theo ran off into the woods about midnight and Liam found him sleeping on the back door covered in blood that was not his own at six the following morning. Theo was weak after the full moon, explaining that shifting to and from his wolf form so many times in one night drained his strength. Hayden came over while Theo was gone, having left Liam in the locked hotel room while he went god knows where. Something seemed off about her when she came into the room, and Liam made an excuse of a phone call to step outside. Liam silently snuck into the unlocked car, opening the case in the back. Rather than seeing a camera and tripod like she described, a sniper rifle and several cases of ammo rested in the large case. He locked it back and rushed back inside the hotel to find Hayden going through Theo’s bag. She pulled out the mask and Liam’s fingers itched to take it from her. It seemed to have no effect on her, and she glanced over at Liam.

 

“Why- why isn’t it affecting you?” Liam asked. Hayden looked surprised, walking closer to him.

 

“How interesting. Raeken didn’t tell you?” At Liam’s confused expression, she grinned slightly. Liam’s vision blacked out momentarily as she brought a baseball bat down on his head. He had been so preoccupied with the mask that he did not notice the bat concealed behind her back. “The mask only has an effect on someone with werewolf blood flowing through their veins.” Liam’s brain was running in overtime, frantically trying to comprehend her words.

 

“You probably are still human, since some people can pass a recessive werewolf gene down to their kids or grandkids. It is very rare, but when someone with this recessive gene gets bit by a true werewolf, they will begin the shifting process. It is better to take care of those _things_ before they get the chance to shift.” She brought the bat down once again, sending Liam from his knees to lying on his stomach, fighting to keep his food down. She hit him again, Liam’s vision growing spots as he began to black out.

 

“You- Monroe?” Liam fought to stay conscious, glaring as best as he could up at the sneer she gave him.

 

“Of course. That hunter Raeken tortured even told you. Really, it wasn’t that hard to figure out.” Again and again she brought the bat down, sometimes on his head and sometimes on his back. Eventually, she seemed to get bored of beating on him. She pulled a small knife out of her back pocket, grinning wickedly as she held it above Liam. The blue eyed teen’s head was pounding, black spots dancing in his vision. Liam could feel hot blood dripping down his temple, and at least something in his back was broken, most likely the backside of a rib.

 

Hayden plunged the knife into Liam’s side. He cried out in pain, but still found himself thankful she missed most major organs. She never got the chance to pull the knife out, because the door slammed open, red eyes and a blood chilling growl announcing Theo’s return.

 

Liam could barely see through the blood coating his eyes. The pounding in his head increased as he forced his blurry vision to find Theo. The alpha was standing with his claws out, body tensed to fight. The bag had long fallen to the tile, entirely forgotten as the werewolf took in the scene before him. Half of Theo’s body was obscured from Liam’s sight by Hayden’s long legs, but he didn’t need visual confirmation to know that the alpha was about to be fully overtaken by rage. Hayden gripped the bloodied knife, standing her ground. Liam could feel Theo’s eyes rest on him briefly.

 

“Liam, I need your okay for this.” The younger could barely nod, feeling his consciousness beginning to fade away.

 

“Do it, Theo.”

 

Before either of the two moved, Liam reached out a shaky hand and wrapped it around Hayden’s ankle. She scowled and spun around to deliver a hard, swift kick to Liam’s already bloodied face. As the teen’s consciousness faded, he witnessed Theo rush forward, taking the opening Liam provided him. The alpha’s vicious snarl was the last thing Liam heard as he surrendered to the darkness.

 

     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Upon awakening, the first thing Liam saw was Theo. The older boy was leaning over him, gently dabbing a wet towel at the wounds on Liam’s head. Blood stained the werewolf’s hands, a trail of dried blood leading from the corner of his mouth to the collar of his t-shirt. When Liam let out a small grunt of pain, Theo leaned back. Liam’s eyes met Theo’s concerned ones, and he attempted a weak smile. This only doubled the pain in his head, so he gave up on the endeavor.

 

“Welcome back, Angel. You really scared me for a bit there.” Liam opened his mouth to reply, only for a groan of pain to leave instead. Theo rested a hand on Liam’s forehead, and Liam felt the burn in his head subside slowly. The werewolf looked slightly panicked as Liam faded back into unconsciousness once more.

 

The second time Liam emerged from the murky waters of sleep, there was nothing but cold air where Theo had once been. Liam glanced around the room as much as possible without moving, only serving to increase his headache. The teen began to panic slightly when he could not catch sight of Theo anywhere. The fresh bandages around his temple and over his side were the only sign Theo had even stayed after Liam passed out. He attempted to raise his head, hopping Theo was simply out of his current line of sight. A sharp, stabbing pain in the back of his skull had Liam collapsing into his original position. Theo chose that moment to re-enter the room, scolding Liam and frowning at the fresh blood spreading across the sides of the bandages. He gingerly helped Liam sit up, leaning the teen against his forearm to access the back of his neck.

 

“You’re just getting worse, and we have to move. It’s only a matter of time before they come looking for Hayden.” Theo stopped speaking, running his free hand through his hair in thought.

 

“-M sorry.” Liam’s weak voice caught Theo’s attention, who shook his head, growling slightly.

 

“What for? It’s not your fault, Angel.” Liam used the little strength he had to grip Theo’s forearm, giving him the fiercest glare possible in his current condition. His voice was quiet, but far more steady than expected in his state.

 

“I let… her…” Liam swayed in place for a second, not able to continue. He slumped sideways into Theo’s chest. The alpha took as much pain as he could from the younger boy as he let out a soft growl.

 

“Don’t, Liam. That bitch tricked both of us. You wanted company again, like you had back home. I don’t blame you for that.” Liam let out a deep breath, leaning even more heavily against Theo. While the younger boy could not conjure up very much energy, he knew the basics of the human body well enough to know he had already lost too much blood. If he even lived at all, there would be no way he could move well enough to escape a group of blood-thirsty hunters. Liam could feel his head clear slightly as Theo took more of his pain, and he rushed to get out what he needed to say.

 

“You’ve got to leave Theo. They will be here soon.” Theo looked shocked at Liam’s words, shaking his head firmly.

 

“Absolutely not. I dragged you into this shit, I’m getting you out of it.” Liam sighed, wrapping his finger’s around Theo’s wrist and tapping twice.

 

“There’s no way you could, T. I-” Theo wrapped his free arm around Liam protectively when the younger boy stopped talking, calling his name worriedly. Liam’s eyes widened and he seemed to think for a second before finally speaking up. “You could turn me.”

 

Theo jerked back in surprise, almost causing Liam to topple over. He let out a soft growl. “No way. I won’t… I can’t turn you. You left everyone and everything behind to- what? Become a monster? You’re too good for this life Liam, and it hasn’t corrupted you yet. You should be running the other direction, not asking me to make you into something like me.” Liam weakly grasped at Theo’s forearm.

 

“Please, Theo. I- I don’t want to die yet.” The words seemed to echo forever in Theo’s mind. They suddenly morphed into a feminine, light voice; tainted with sobs and hiccups. Glimpses of blood and exposed bone flashed behind Theo’s eyelids as a blood-filled gurgle of those same words, only in a female’s voice, resounded in his ears.

 

After he revealed the true extent of his emotions, Liam could tell the exact second Theo’s resolve broke. It was true that Liam wanted the alpha to escape, but a selfish part of him wanted to escape with the older boy.

 

“You’re never going to be the same after this.” Theo clearly hesitated, but seemed to have made his decision. Liam simply nodded, feeling his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Fighting the urge to close them, Liam heard Theo mumble a quiet apology before turning his head away, hiding it from Liam’s prying gaze. When his eyes met Liam’s once again, they were glowing red. Fangs split through Theo’s gums as he leaned closer to Liam’s neck. When Theo bit down, fangs ripping into supple flesh and blood flowing into the alpha’s mouth, Liam let out a scream and his eyes fluttered shut. The point of contact burned, then the fire spread throughout Liam’s body. A shockwave went through both of their bodies as Theo pulled away, pressing the bedsheet to the blood flowing from the wound. The alpha felt high, working on pure instinct as he settled the unconscious teen against the pillows.

 

Liam came in and out of consciousness for the next twenty or so hours, Theo forcing him to drink and occasionally eat before Liam passed out once again. In the fifth hour after he bit Liam, Theo feared the most for his new beta. The younger boy thrashed far longer than usual, but when the wound on both his neck and head began slowly patching themselves together, Theo felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

 

Fire. The scorching heat of a fire was all Liam felt every time he awoke. His only relief came in the form of cool water sliding down his throat and cold hands pressed to his skin. The fire slowly faded after what felt like an eternity, Liam slowly breaking through the flames into consciousness. He jolted up in the bed, Theo at his side in an instant.

 

“Alpha.” Liam panted, locking eyes with the boy beside him. Theo grinned slightly, flashing red eyes to meet Liam’s yellow ones.

 

“Welcome back to the land of the living… Beta.” Liam sucked in a sharp breath, the red of Theo’s eyes feeling even more powerful than before. After staring for a few seconds, Liam felt the need to look away. A bottle of water and package of crackers was shoved into Liam’s hands before Theo walked back to the chair in the corner, collapsing into the uncomfortable upholstery. Liam picked up on the sound of the chair scraping. He could hear cars outside, even the water sloshing around in the bottle. The beta attempted to drown them out, pulling open the package of crackers. The sheer force of the sound had him dropping them, slamming his hands over his ears. Theo offered him a sympathetic smile, which was a rare sight for the alpha. He dug around in his backpack for a moment, pulling out a small set of blue earplugs.

 

“I stole these while you were unconscious, they should help.” Liam just now realized Theo had been whispering this entire time, and he gave the alpha -his alpha- a grateful smile.

 

The next three days consisted of Theo teaching Liam the basics of how to control his senses and how to shift into a full wolf, before they tossed the bags into the black Chevy and sped out of the parking lot.

 

Liam’s first full moon was hard. Theo stayed human for as long as possible to help the beta through his shift. Liam’s bones moved and broke, mostly around the facial area at first. He let out distorted cries of pain as his hands changed into paws, human fingers splitting through the soft pads of his canine extremities before his hands changed completely into the large paws of a wolf. Liam felt his spine snap, sending him to his knees. It began moving under his flesh and the muscles rearranged themselves. Liam vomited as soon as his shift was complete. Theo finally gave into his own shift, glowing red eyes meeting yellow. Alpha and beta fled the room, letting out deep howls into the night.

 

The next time hunters made an attack was in a small town in Michigan. Hayden had not lied about Monroe being on their trail, and eventually the wolves’ luck ran out. Parked outside an abandoned warehouse, Theo awoke to a soft banging on the window. The alpha assumed it was another cop telling them to move on, but the flashlight shining into the car was attached to a rifle barrel. Theo glanced over to his sleeping beta. The alpha raised his hands slowly. When the first shot rang out, Theo covered Liam, who was just beginning to wake up.

 

The hunters were gone when Theo awoke. Liam was still covered by the older boy, but his hands slowly moved. Theo let out a hiss of pain when Liam dug another bullet out, adding it to the pile in the floorboard. Several bullet holes in Liam’s shoulder had already begun healing. Theo could feel multiple bullets still lodged in his side and back, but none seemed to have created permanent damage. Liam eventually got to those once Theo sat up, giving him more room to work. A few bullet wounds required bandages, but most healed by themselves.

 

The sound of tires on the gravel road could be heard in the distance, and both werewolves shared a look before grabbing their supplies and darting into the building.

 

Theo and Liam waited for the hunters to enter the building, finally catching sight of the woman who made their lives a living hell. Monroe stood in the middle of the group, glancing around warily and giving orders. Eventually, the hunters began to fan out, searching the large warehouse for the two werewolves. From their spot in the rafters, Liam and Theo watched the hunters search nearly every inch of the building. One of the hunters finally walked into their targeted area, and Theo offered Liam a brief nod before putting the first part of their plan into motion.

 

Balancing atop the rafters, Theo moved to the back part of the building. This offered him enough cover to climb down and shift. Running past the flashlight purposefully left near where the trap was set, the black wolf’s shadow stretched across the sky. As predicted, the hunter gave chase. Theo wove among the crates and boxes before stopping in front of several large barrels. He tucked his tail between his legs and lowered his ears, letting out a pitiful whimper as the hunter took aim. Dodging to the side just before the shot rang out, Theo lept on the hunter. He screamed in pain as Theo tore him apart, calling out for the other hunters. Several more arrived quickly, and before long there was a ring of around eight hunters surrounding Theo. The remaining five, Monroe included, continued sweeping the warehouse for the younger werewolf.

 

The eight hunters surrounding the alpha were so busy fighting off the wolf that they failed to notice the click of a lighter. Theo glanced behind himself right before the lighter reached the barrel of oil, shouldering his way around the hunters and running as far away as possible. The explosion still knocked him to the ground, but other than a few singed hairs, he was unharmed. He looked up to find a brown wolf standing in front of him, and at first glance it appeared to be Liam. But the absence of a white patch of fur on his chest and the glowing blue eyes gave the strange wolf away. Theo rose to his feet, growling loudly. The two wolves circled one another before the beta wolf lunged, the alpha dodging and using the provided opening to make his own attack.

 

Liam heard the growling from his spot still in the rafters, safely above the explosion but sweating from the heat. Soon, the hunters would realize he was hiding above them, but until that time he had an advantage. Liam pulled the pistol from against his back. He took aim at Monroe, but the bullet sank into the neck of the hunter on her right. Liam cussed, making his way over to where Theo disappeared at and descending the ladder. He avoided stepping in the puddles of gasoline spread through the warehouse. The beta could already feel the heat of the fire taking off, and he knew they only had moments until the entire building was in flames. He made his way to Theo’s scent.

 

The younger boy found Theo standing over the corpse of a brown wolf. The alpha looked up at Liam and bounded along beside the other werewolf. Theo did not shift back until the two hunters guarding the exit were dead, and Liam guarded the door. Once Theo put on pants, he walked over to find a third body near the door. Reaching out and touching the door handle with bloodied claws, Liam let out a hiss at the heated metal. Seconds later, the two werewolves saw flames licking at the windows of the warehouse, several hunters letting out screams of pain as the gasoline no doubt ignited. As the remaining three hunters flooded from the building they were killed by either alpha or beta. Monroe was left alive, forced back into the building. Once she was secured inside, Liam kept his body weight against the door while Theo hotwired one of the hunters’ trucks. Once the truck was parked in front of the door and the tires on every vehicle other than the black chevy had been slashed, the two wolves drove from the lot.

 

They were finally free from Monroe.


	6. Epilogue

Several months later and Derek eventually agreed to meet. The two parties met outside of a small gas station in Nebraska, Liam waiting impatiently against the bullet hole riddled truck whilst Derek and Theo had a very heated conversation. Liam finally worked up the courage to walk over to Stiles while their conversation dragged on. 

 

“Uh, hey Stiles.” Receiving only a nod in return, Liam tried a different approach. 

 

“How is home?” Stiles stared at him curiously, then looked over at where Theo had paused his rant to glance over at Liam. The alpha noticed his gaze and went back to yelling back and forth with Derek. 

 

“Everyone is fine, and Monroe is dead thanks to you guys.” Liam nodded, a question clawing its way up his throat. 

 

“How is Mason?” Stiles gave him a small, pitying smile. 

 

“He is alright, says he misses you.” Liam felt his eyes burn, and turned his head away from Stiles. Eventually, Derek and Theo seemed to come to an agreement, nodding to each other before Derek handed over two small slips of paper to Theo. The alpha look surprised, but Liam could have sworn he heard the other boy mutter a thanks to the older werewolf. 

 

Theo pulled the sunglasses back over his eyes, smiling slightly at Liam and gesturing with his head towards the truck. He climbed in and started the engine, waiting for the younger wolf. Liam gave Derek a small wave, turning back to Stiles. 

 

“Tell Mase I miss him too.” With that, Liam climbed into the passenger seat and the two werewolves drove away. 

 

     -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Planes always made Liam nervous, but this small plane containing only the two wolves and the pilot nearly made Liam pull his hair out from the turbulence. The fact that Theo refused to tell him where they were going only increased his anxiety. Eventually though, Liam fell asleep. Theo woke the beta up, complaining about the drool on his shoulder goodnaturedly. The younger boy could not remember the last time Theo had looked so carefree. The two left the plane after gathering their stuff, and Liam instantly began shivering from the cold despite the warmer body temperature. All the beta could see was ice and snow, but luckily there was no wind to freeze him completely. 

 

Stripping and shoving his clothes into a backpack, Theo began shifting. Liam let out a surprised cry but followed his lead as the small plane flew off in the direction Liam assumed they came from. The brown wolf followed his alpha through the snow, letting out a small yelp the first time his paws touched the freezing snow. They ran for almost two hours in the barren landscape before reaching a forest. Elk grazed along the edge, looking up in surprise and bolting off across the frozen ground. The black wolf led his beta deeper into the forest, stopping in front a small cabin hidden away among the trees. 

 

Theo shifted back into his human form, the cracking of bones echoing in the woods. Liam shifted as well, whimpers of pain still accompanying his transition. After putting on clothes once again, Theo pulled a key from his bag and unlocked the small cabin. The inside was far nicer than the outside looked, and Liam looked around with wide eyes as the two werewolves tracked snow into the doorway. Theo flipped a lightswitch and the sound of a generator spluttering to life could be heard from outside. Non-perishable food stocked the shelves in the small kitchen, a sofa sat in front of a fireplace, and a short hallway led to two doors. One door led to the bathroom and another to the bedroom. Compared to the small size of the other rooms in the cabin, the bedroom was massive. Two full beds sat against opposite walls, a dresser placed against the only of the three walls without windows. 

 

Liam let out small gasps as he darted from room to room, summoning Theo to each room and pointing out details Theo very much could have seen himself. When Liam finished running about like a madman, Theo grabbed the backpack from him and pulled out the weapons, adding them to the large, mostly full, weapon rack against the living room wall. 

 

The first time they went hunting in their wolf forms, Liam grew anxious and jumped too soon, scaring away the elk Theo had been stalking for well over an hour. They shared a small rabbit Liam managed to catch. The next time was much more successful, and they dragged an adult elk back to the cabin. Liam almost vomited while Theo carved up the elk, resulting in the alpha sending him inside. 

 

The two eventually adjusted to life in Alaska, only running into the small town when needed and keeping to themselves in the woods. 

 

     --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The gray haired woman listened in on the conversation at the table next to her. 

 

“No way man, we can’t go after Theo Raeken, are you insane?” The dark haired young man was speaking with slightly slurred words, a look of disbelief in his eyes. 

 

“What’s so bad about him? He won’t be that hard to take out.” The older hunter looked shocked, shaking her head at the blonde man and interjecting herself into the conversation. 

 

“An entire group of pro hunters went after Raeken. We- They even had a wolf helping ‘em. The only one left standing was Raeken and his beta. Even pumped full of bullets he took out twelve hunters and another wolf. Only one hunter made it out. There’s no way you stand a chance. Plus he has that insane beta with him, the one with anger issues. Supposedly, the kid is one strong son of a bitch. Anyone gets near their hiding spot or touches the beta and Raeken fucks ‘em up bad.” The younger hunter scoffed at her words, clearly inexperienced and ignorant. 

 

“Those are just over-exaggerations. Ain’t no way in hell that kid is that damn hard to kill. Even if he used to run with the Doctors.” The older hunter simply shook her head, standing up and walking outside. The blonde hunter mumbled about how old hunters have no courage and picked up his beer, stalking out of the building. 

 

     ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Hey Theo, can you go pick up some more coffee? Lilith and Caspar kept waking me up in the middle of the night and I may have drank it all.” Theo let out a sigh, glaring up at Liam. 

 

“Can’t you let me twirl my knife in peace?” Theo threw another knife at the target hung up on the wall. His accuracy was almost always perfect, so it was more of a boredom activity for the older werewolf. Liam waited for the brunette to look his way before he used his worst puppy eyes yet. Theo stood with a sigh, grabbing a jacket and some cash before stalking out of their cabin and into the woods. 

 

Several hours later, Liam looked up from letting Caspar chew on his fingers when the door swung open. 

 

“Hey T- Who did you murder? I know that face. And is that blood on your shirt?” Theo looked down at his shirt. There was a long pause before he spoke.

 

“...No?” 

 

“Jesus Christ Theo you went out for coffee!” 

 

“Well there was a hunter in town, and he provoked me!” The yelling back and forth made Caspar let out a whine, and both parties went silent instantly. Liam scooped the husky pup into his arms, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Caspar licked Liam’s cheek in reply. Setting the puppy down and walking over to Theo, he led the alpha out of the door. 

 

“What happened?” Theo crossed his arms, glaring out at the frozen trees. 

 

“I saw him walking towards the cabin, and when I got close enough he attacked me. So I broke his ankles and left him there to rot.” Liam let out a sigh, relishing in the quiet for a moment before freezing. 

“Theo, do you hear that?” The older wolf raised his eyebrows.

 

“No, hear what?” 

 

“Exactly, there’s nothing. Not even birds.” Theo glanced around, letting out a soft growl. He jumped the railing of their small porch, bolting off into the trees. He came back not even a minute later, dragging an unconscious man behind himself. The man’s legs had clearly been snapped, and both of his wrists were laying at unnatural angles. When Liam pointed this out, Theo shrugged and dropped the man’s collar. 

 

“Oh big deal, a few broken bones never hurt anybody, it builds character.” Liam simply blinked at him in disbelief. 

 

“Have I ever told you how sociopathic you sound?” Theo sent the younger werewolf a glare, and Liam held his hands up defensively. “The fact that you can threaten me with just your eyes is both terrifying and impressive.” 

 

Theo let out a short laugh, but it died in his throat as the man began waking up, groaning in pain. Theo’s eyes darkened and he picked the man up, slamming him against the bark of a tree. 

 

“How did you find us? Who else knows about our location.” The dark haired man trembled in fear at the fury blazing in the glowing red eyes in front of him. 

 

“We didn’t tell anyone, I swear! My friend thought he could take you guys, so he dragged me up here without telling a soul.” The hunter glanced over Theo’s shoulder, using his eye to plead with the beta. He received only a cold stare in return before sagging to the floor when Theo released him. The alpha took a deep breath before spinning around. Theo rained down punch after punch on the man sprawled on the ground until the alpha allowed Liam to pull him away. After watching as the life faded from the man’s eyes, Liam felt he finally grasped the true extent of the darkness inside of Theo. His hate for hunters bled into the anger he kept buried until it combined into a whirlwind of destruction. If there was not someone to pull Theo back from the edge, Liam had no doubts in his mind that the older wolf would dissolve into madness. Or maybe they both had, and Liam just did not realize the true madness inside them. Liam shrugged away the thought, deciding to contemplate them at another time. When Theo turned to face Liam, blood speckled across his face. The look in the werewolf’s eyes sent a shiver down Liam’s spine. 

 

The alpha had a dangerous look in his glowing eyes. Like a predator that had finally found its prey. That look was enough to make most people turn and run. As much as that look in Theo’s eyes excited Liam, it made him equally terrified. The scariest part however, was that it didn’t leave behind the terror that one felt after a near-death experience, it was the kind of terror that left you feeling satisfied and in awe. Like seeing lighting strike close to your home, or a flame flickering from a candle. You desperately want to reach out and touch it, to get burned by the heat and electricity, but fear stops you. That was how Liam felt around Theo when the older werewolf got this way. He wanted to stoke the fire, to place a lighting rod right in the middle of the street just to see the sheer power unleashed. Yet fear stopped him every time. The beta watched as Theo walked off with the two bodies, most likely dumping them in a small cave he had discovered one day. 

 

Once he returned, Liam led his alpha inside, cleaning the blood from Theo’s face and hand. Once the older wolf was calm, Liam put the kitten in the bedroom and opened the door. Caspar bounded out, letting out excited yips into the night air. 

 

The two wolves watched the husky pup bounce around before growing bored and wandering back inside. Liam took his alpha’s hand, lying his head against the older wolf’s shoulder as they watched the Northern Lights dance. 

 

 "I love you, Angel."

 

"Love you too, Theo."

 

     ----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Mason gave his daughter a sad smile, finally agreeing to tell her about his childhood best friend. She was nearly thirty now, and begged both Mason and Corey to tell her who the man on the news was, and why her papa started crying when they said he died.

 

"Wait Papa, you knew that guy?" Mason nodded, wiping a tear from his cheek.

 

"I knew both of them," he murmured. "Or at least I knew one of them. Once, a long time ago."

 

"What were they like?" Some crumpled copy of a smile crossed Mason's face at his daughter's question.

 

"Liam was going to change the world."


End file.
